View source for Warfare and the Environment

'''Environmental Problems Can Be Causes if to War'''

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_war

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Biological, Chemical and Nuclear Weapons: The production, testing, transport and use of these advanced weapons are perhaps the single most destructive effects of war on the environment. Though their use has been strictly limited since the bombing of Japan by the U.S. military at the end of World War II, military analysts have grave concerns about the proliferation of nuclear material and chemical and biological weaponry. "We've been very fortunate that we have not seen the devastation that we might see," said Bruch.

Researchers point to the use of depleted uranium (DU) as one particularly dangerous military trend. DU is a byproduct of the uranium-enrichment process. Almost twice as dense as lead, it's valued in weapons for its ability to penetrate tank armor and other defenses. An estimated 320 tons of DU were used in the Gulf War in 1991; in addition to soil contamination, experts are concerned that soldiers and civilians may have been exposed to dangerous levels of the compound.

Habitat Destruction: Perhaps the most famous example of habitat devastation occurred during the Vietnam War, when U.S. forces sprayed herbicides like Agent Orange on the forests and mangrove swamps that provided cover to guerrilla soldiers. An estimated 20 million gallons of herbicide were used, decimating about 4.5 million acres of the countryside. 

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_Modification_Convention

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... detailed scientific and economic assessment tools to solve the extremely complicated problems of preventing, assigning liability for, and redressing ecological and human wartime damage...a must-read for anyone wishing to understand the effects of armed conflict beyond simple causalty figures or destroyed material." International Politics

http://www.amazon.com/Environmental-Consequences-War-Scientific-Perspectives/dp/0521780209


[[Category:Nuclear Weapons]]
[[Category:Warfare and the Environment]]