Impact of Armed Conflicts on the State of Ecological Security

Contemporary armed conflicts, although not as global in scope as the two world wars in the 20^th century, create serious threats in many dimensions. One of the areas of their influence is the natural environment.

In fact every armed conflict, also one that takes place in a relatively small territory, causes a number of negative consequences in the natural environment. These, in turn, may have further consequences.

Apart from the damage caused by military operations, accompanying phenomena appear on a large scale. In recent years, a series of armed conflicts in Africa and West Asia resulted in huge migrations of millions of people. In addition to the resulting humanitarian crises, large-scale environmental problems are observed.

Thus, it clearly shows that even potentially minor military conflicts can lead to serious disturbances of the natural environment.

The author shows the various consequences of armed conflicts for the natural environment over the last half century.