The UN has released the final draft of principles for countries to protect the environment before, during and after international and domestic armed conflict
Fire and toxic smoke coming from Kuwaiti oil wells set afire by Iraqi troops during the Gulf war
Greg Gibson/AP/Shutterstock
The United Nations General Assembly is expected to adopt new principles to protect the environment from foreseeable damage before, during and after armed conflict. Experts say the principles articulate valuable norms for militaries to avoid the worst environmental impacts of war.
“Military operations – that includes training, building weapons and of course war – are incredibly destructive to the environment,” says Neta Crawford at the University of Oxford. In Ukraine, for instance, invading Russian forces …