There are a record number of conflicts raging around the world – from Ukraine and Gaza to Sudan and Myanmar. Alongside their devastating human toll, these conflicts are all wreaking havoc on the environment.
One of the key ways war leads to environmental harm is by leaving behind unexploded weaponry. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has become the most landmine-contaminated country in the world. By January 2024, roughly 25,000 sq km of agricultural land there was estimated to have been contaminated with landmines and other so-called explosive remnants of war.
The contamination of Ukrainian farmland – alongside the physical damage from exploded mines – has contributed to a sharp decrease in agricultural activity, with wheat production in Ukraine falling by 41% between 2021 and the end of 2024. Ukraine has historically been one of the world’s largest agricultural exporters.
The damage wars are causing to land is also occurring at a time when climate change is driving land degradation. Rising temperatures, increased aridity and the intensification of extreme weather events are leading to reduced soil fertility and desertification. This often compounds the impact of unexploded mines and bombs on the land.
Wars and climate change are inextricably linked. Climate change can increase the likelihood of violent conflict by intensifying resource scarcity and displacement, while conflict itself accelerates environmental damage. This article is part of a series, War on climate, which explores the relationship between climate issues and global conflicts.
The human toll from explosive remnants of war is quite visible, as the number of deaths resulting from unexploded mines and bombs can be traced. In April 2024, for example, the Ukrainian government reported that landmines and other unexploded ordnance had accounted for more than 1,000 civilian casualties since the start of Russia’s invasion.
But the impact of explosive remnants on the land is less immediately apparent. Research in Cambodia, which was bombed extensively by the US military during the Vietnam war (1955-1975), suggests that unexploded ordnance continues to harm agricultural productivity there today.
Many of the bombs that landed on soft and highly fertile land failed to detonate. They continue to render the land hazardous. Due to the danger of unexploded bombs, many Cambodian farmers avoid using tractors and other agricultural techniques that could increase agricultural production.
Studies also show that explosive remnants of war affect soil quality. Unexploded bombs and landmines can leak heavy metals and toxic waste into the soil, polluting land and water. In rare cases, contaminants from a landmine have been detected up to 6km away from the initial explosion site.
The methods for clearing unexploded ordnance can contribute to land degradation, too. Heavy demining equipment can damage fertile top soil and contribute to erosion. Some methods of disposal, such as controlled detonations, can also release contaminants into the soil.
Research on soil quality in the Halgurd-Sakran National Park in north-eastern Iraq, a region that has seen decades of armed conflict, show evidence of the release of hazardous metals such as lead, cadmium and arsenic into the soil following demining activities.
These contaminants pose significant risks both to local ecosystems and human health through direct contact and the contamination of water sources and food chains. There are also risks of contamination through inhaling or ingesting dust.
Climate change complications
Climate hazards such as droughts, floods and wildfires can exacerbate the impact of explosive remnants of war. Floods and heavy rainfall can unearth landmines and other unexploded ordnance, sometimes displacing them into areas previously considered safe.
High temperatures from heatwaves can also cause abandoned munitions to explode. Six different munition sites exploded across Iraq during scorching hot summers in 2018 and 2019, when temperatures regularly topped 45°C. Heatwaves were blamed for a similar arms dump explosion in Jordan in 2020.
At the same time, the presence of explosive remnants in the environment can hamper responses to climate events. In eastern Ukraine, for example, the heavy contamination of forests with landmines and tripwires prevented fire crews from responding effectively to wildfires in 2020. The fires damaged houses and killed seven people.
Similarly, unexploded bombs from the second world war have been detonated recently by wildfires in the North York Moors, UK. This increases the unpredictability of the fires, inevitably endangering the the lives of fire crews.
In Libya, Storm Daniel destroyed two dams in 2023 and subsequently caused flooding in large parts of the eastern city of Derna. The displacement of unexploded ordnance and ammunition stores caused by the flooding complicated recovery efforts.
Explosives experts also had to be deployed during the destructive floods in South Sudan in 2024 to assess whether land was safe for the relocation of displaced people.
Read more: South Sudan floods: the first example of a mass population permanently displaced by climate change?
Climate disasters and environmental change can also prevent communities from benefiting from land that has been cleared of explosive remnants after the end of war.
In Angola, where there was a civil war between 1975 and 2002, drought has prevented farmers from planting crops in recently cleared fields. Increasing soil salinisation in Sri Lanka due to rising sea-levels has also affected the ability of farmers to plant rice in areas cleared of unexploded munitions.
Explosive remnants of war have a lasting impact, not only on human life but also the environment. Climate change is only making the threat more unpredictable and challenging to address.
It’s more important than ever that measures to restore land, tackle climate change and manage the impact of armed conflict – including explosive remnants of war – are addressed together rather than in isolation.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
