By Omotayo Edubi
In creating awareness about preventing the exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict, the United Nations General Assembly declared November 6 as the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict.
Wars and armed conflicts around the world not only cause loss of life and property but also damage ecological balance and environment.
The United Nations Environment Assembly adopted a resolution on May 27, 2016 that identified the part a healthy environment plays in reducing the probability of an armed conflict.
The UNEP gives the example of wars in conflict zones like Afghanistan, Colombia, or Iraq which have led to a great decrease of natural resources. In Afghanistan, some parts of the country have registered a 95 % rate of increase in deforestation.
Any conflict causes burnt corps, polluted water bodies, damaged forests, and a large number of dead animals. In fact, at least 40% of all internal conflicts in the last 60 years were associated with the exploitation of natural resources, as per the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
According to UNEP, over the last 60 years, at least 40% of all internal conflicts have been linked to the exploitation of natural resources, and also high-value resources like timber, diamonds, gold, and oil, or scarce resources including fertile land and water.
The fundamental idea behind this occasion is to minimize the effect of conflicts and wars on the environment and to grant proper education on ways to protect the ecosystem even in difficult situations.
In any war, casualties are always counted in terms of dead and wounded soldiers and civilians, communities and sources of revenue are also affected during armed conflict. The environment remains the unpublicized victim because the impact on the environment is always ignored.
The day also focuses on how the effects of war are deteriorating the natural environment because the damage and destruction caused due to war and armed conflict can have serious and long-term consequences.
According to the UN, action on the environment is part of conflict prevention, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding strategies, as there can be no durable peace if the natural resources that sustain livelihoods and ecosystems are destroyed.
