Iran, Ukraine… an heavy ecological toll often forgotten
During the night of March 7-8, the Israeli army carried out a missile strike on four petrol depots and a logistics site for hydrocarbons in Tehran, causing several deaths. In the morning, the residents of the capital discovered an apocalyptic sky, so dark that the sun seemed not to have risen. Witnesses describe a thick toxic smoke and a black, acidic rain, laden with oil residues. While these signs are already alarming, the full ecological and health consequences of these strikes are not yet fully measurable. Nevertheless, it is urgent to become aware today of the disastrous and generalized impact of war.
In Ukraine, the toll is equally heavy. The forest fires caused by the war have contributed to a 31% increase in the country’s greenhouse gas emissions between 2024 and 2025. In total, 231 million tonnes of CO equivalent would have been emitted by the war between 2022 and early 2025, equivalent to the combined annual emissions of Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.
The destructive impact of armed conflicts today
In light of the military capabilities of the 21st century, wars today have the potential to cause unprecedented destruction. The first victims are civilian populations, exposed to the bombings and the health and environmental fallout of combat in the long and medium term. Contaminated soils, destroyed infrastructures, and weakened ecosystems, armed conflicts have a diffuse, tentacular, and prolonged impact.
Faced with this reality, it is essential to recognize and document the ecological consequences of armed conflicts, in order to better consider the real impact of wars on civilian populations. The protection of the environment must become a central issue of international humanitarian law, in order to prevent the multiplication of harmful consequences in the long term.
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