environmental warfare

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July 16, 2026

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Environmental warfare, also known as ecoterrorism in some contexts, involves the deliberate destruction or modification of the environment as a strategy during armed conflict. This can include actions like setting oil wells on fire, as seen during the Persian Gulf War, or using defoliants like Agent Orange in Vietnam. International law, such as the 1977 Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques, aims to prevent such practices, especially those causing widespread, long-lasting, or severe damage. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court also defines such environmental destruction as a war crime.12

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ecoterrorism
…of ecoterrorism, often described as environmental warfare, consists of the deliberate and illegal destruction, exploitation, or modification of the environment as a strategy of war or in times of armed conflict (including civil conflict within states). Modification of the environment that occurs during armed conflict and is likely to have…
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…of ecoterrorism, often described as environmental warfare, consists of the deliberate and illegal destruction, exploitation, or modification of the environment as a strategy of war or in times of armed conflict (including civil conflict within states). Modification of the environment that occurs during armed conflict and is likely to have…
Read More