The Long-Term Effects of Wars on the Environment

When we talk about war, images of slaughter, displacement, captivity, and blood may come to mind, and we may think less about the impact of war on the environment. Just days before the climate change conference in Paris, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran communicated the general policies on the environment to the heads of the three branches of government. These two topics are part of this week's program 'One House, One Land' on Radio Farda, which you can listen to in full: Embedshare One House, One Land 84; Communication of Environmental Policies by the Leader and the Impact of War on the Environment from Radio Farda. The environment at the end of a war becomes a continuation of the war. The destruction of forests, plants, animals, water, soil, and air pollution, and the destruction of the ecosystem and natural resources during wars are so damaging that decades of effort to restore the region to its previous conditions are insufficient. This is why it is said that the environment is one of the silent and voiceless victims of war. Its voice is not heard today in parts of Iraq and Syria that have been struggling with war for years. The United Nations General Assembly designated November 15 as the International Day for the Prevention of Environmental Destruction in Wars and Armed Conflicts 14 years ago, in 2001. But what exactly does war do to the environment and nature that it is taken so seriously? Hamid Pouran, a senior environmental researcher at the Middle East and Africa Studies Institute at the University of London, who has researched this area, speaks of these long-term effects: 'At the end of the war, the environment will become a tool and continuation of the war. The difference is that the effect of the polluted environment is no longer immediate but gradually affects the health of people thousands of kilometers beyond the war zone. The biological accumulation of chemical residues from munitions and their pathways to groundwater and rivers, and ultimately their entry into the food cycle with accumulation in agricultural products can affect people's health.' Iran was involved in an eight-year war with Iraq, a conflict that earned the title of the longest war of the 20th century. Despite the oil resources in the south and west of the country, the use of dangerous chemical gases by Iraq and the remnants of munitions can endanger people's lives for many years and create numerous environmental problems. Hamid Pouran, a researcher in measuring soil pollutants, states that 'the destruction and burning of oil wells and chemical pollution, especially in Halabja, will leave its effects on the environment for many years. On the surface, the effects have disappeared, but the environment of the region is still polluted.' During the first and second Gulf Wars, a large amount of various types of munitions, such as depleted uranium, remained in the region, which have been proven to be carcinogenic and disrupt the immune system. These substances easily travel across borders on dust particles and spill into other countries in the region. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, referred to this issue last week at a conference on the destructive effects of war on the environment. He said: 'We cannot preserve the environment at the cost of the loss of others' environment. Then we can accept that we cannot create security for ourselves at the expense of making others insecure.' Environmental experts had worked on the regulations communicated by the Leader's office. Less than two weeks before the climate change conference in Paris, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran communicated the general policies on the environment to the heads of the three branches of government. The policies communicated by the Iranian Leader emphasize strengthening environmental diplomacy and efforts to create and strengthen regional institutions to combat dust and water pollution. The expansion of the green economy and institutionalizing environmental culture and ethics are also among the main points of Ayatollah Khamenei's directive. The process is said to be carried out through reducing carbon pollutants in industry, increasing the use of clean energy, and developing transportation based on non-fossil energy; issues that will be discussed among the leaders of many countries at the upcoming climate change conference in Paris. This is not the first time that the Iranian Leader has clearly stated the necessity of coordinated management of the country's vital and natural resources. Last year, he complained about the dire state of the environment and the destruction of forests and mountains due to mountain and forest plundering in a meeting with some officials. Ismail Kahram, an environmental researcher and expert in Tehran, explains the process that these directives have gone through for communication: 'The deputy of the Department of Environment and many environmental experts in Iran reviewed and approved these regulations and sent them to the Leader's office, and they were communicated as directives.' Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, has also repeatedly defended his government's environmental performance. Perhaps following this performance that Mr. Rouhani constantly emphasizes, the Islamic Republic of Iran's government approved the 'National Participation Program for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions' last week. This issue is one of the essential and important topics of the United Nations climate change conference in Paris. However, Iran has not yet even reached the first step to start on this issue. In other sections of the Iranian Supreme Leader's directive, the criminalization of environmental destruction and the preparation of an ecosystem atlas of the country are discussed. The policies communicated also emphasize the preservation of the quality and quantity of groundwater, combating dust and water pollution, and strengthening environmental diplomacy.