The Environmental Consequences of War
Legal, Economic, and Scientific Perspectives

Interdisciplinary analysis of the implications of wartime damage to the natural environment and public health.

Jay E. Austin (Edited by), Carl E. Bruch (Edited by)

9780521780209, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 26 October 2000

712 pages, 8 b/w illus.
23.6 x 16 x 4.9 cm, 1.242 kg

"This is a most valuable collection and deserves space in any library where scholars, scientists, and activists meet in their efforts to piece together the fragments of a possible future world without war." Ecoscience

The environmental devastation caused by military conflict has been witnessed in the wake of the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and the Kosovo conflict. This book brings together leading international lawyers, military officers, scientists and economists to examine the legal, political, economic and scientific implications of wartime damage to the natural environment and public health. The book considers issues raised by the application of humanitarian norms and legal rules designed to protect the environment, and the destructive nature of war. Contributors offer an analysis and critique of the existing law of war framework, lessons from peacetime environmental law, means of scientific assessment and economic valuation of ecological and public health damage, and proposals for future legal and institutional developments. This book provides a contemporary forum for interdisciplinary analysis of armed conflict and the environment, and explores ways to prevent and redress wartime environmental damage.

List of illustrations
List of tables
List of contributors
Acknowledgements
Foreword Klaus Toepfer
Introduction Jay E. Austin and Carl E. Bruch
Part I. General Principles: Introduction Carl E. Bruch
1. The environment in wartime: an overview Christopher D. Stone
Part II. The Legal Framework
Section 1. Existing and Emerging Wartime Standards: Introduction Carl E. Bruch
2. The law of war and environmental damage Adam Roberts
3. War and the environment: fault lines in the prescriptive landscape Michael N. Schmitt
4. The inadequacy of the existing legal approach to environmental protection in wartime Richard Falk
5. United States Navy development of operational-environmental doctrine Captain John P. Quinn, Captain Richard T. Evans and Lt. Commander Michael J. Boock
6. In furtherance of environmental guidelines for armed forces during peace and war Arthur H. Westing
Section 2. Lessons from Other Legal Regimes: Introduction Jay E. Austin
7. Peacetime environmental law as a basis of state responsibility for environmental damage caused by war Silja Vöneky
8. Environmental damages under the Law of the Sea Convention Thomas A. Mensah
9. The place of the environment in international tribunals David D. Caron
10. Civil liability for war-caused environmental damage: models from United States law Jeffrey G. Miller
Part III. Assessing the Impacts - Scientific Methods and Issues
Section 1. Ecological and Natural Resource Impacts: Introduction Jessica D. Jacoby
11. Scientific assessment of the long-term environmental consequences of war Asit K. Biswas
12. The Gulf War impact on the terrestrial environment of Kuwait: an overview Samira A. S. Omar, Ernest Briskey, Raafat Misak and Adel A. S. O. Asem
13. War-related damages to the marine environment in the ROPME Sea Area Mahmood Y. Abdulraheem
14. War and biodiversity: an assessment of impacts Jeffrey A. McNeely
Section 2. Public Health Impacts: Introduction Jessica D. Jacoby
15. Tracking the four horsemen: the public health approach to the impact of war and war-induced environmental destruction in the twentieth century Jennifer Leaning
16. Defoliants: the long-term health implications Alastair W. M. Hay
17. The impact of military preparedness and militarism on health and the environment Victor W. Sidel
18. War and infectious diseases: international law and the public health consequences of armed conflict David P. Fidler
Part IV. Valuing the Impacts - Economic Methods and Issues: Introduction Eric Feldman
Section 1. Ecological and Natural Resource Damages: 19. Restoration-based approaches to compensation for natural resource damages: moving towards convergence in US and international law Carol A. Jones
Section 2. Public Health Damages: 20. Valuing public health damages arising from war Mark Dickie and Shelby Gerking
21. Valuing the health consequences of war W. Kip Viscusi
Part V. Prospects for the Future: Introduction Jay E. Austin
22. Protecting specially important areas during international armed conflict: a critique of the IUCN Draft Convention on the Prohibition of Hostile Military Activities in Protected Areas Richard G. Tarasofsky
23. The Chemical Weapons Convention: a verification and enforcement model for determining legal responsibility for environmental harm caused by war Barry Kellman
24. International legal mechanisms for determining liability for environmental damage under international humanitarian law Jean-Marie Henckaerts
25. Waging war against the world: the need to move from war crimes to environmental crimes Mark A. Drumbl
Epilogue Carl E. Bruch and Jay E. Austin
Index.

Subject Areas: Environment law [LNKJ]