States to adopt new legal framework on war and the environment
Lawyers and states have been working on the PERAC framework for more than a decade, this October it will be adopted at the UN General Assembly.
Addressing nuclear weapons contamination: New principles for environmental remediation
Bonnie Docherty of Harvard Law School introduces a new joint report with CEOBS on the principles that should guide environmental remediation as part of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Do mention the war: Why conservation NGOs must speak out on biodiversity and conflicts
Commentary arguing that conservation organisations urgently need to speak up about the impacts of armed conflicts on biodiversity in order to mainstream conflict-sensitive conservation in international policy making.
States reluctant to strengthen laws protecting the environment from war
Our new analysis of government views on a UN project to enhance the legal protection of the environment in relation to armed conflicts has found considerable reluctance to strengthen rules that would help protect people and ecosystems.
Legal accountability for environmental destruction in Ukraine
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a stark reminder of the human and environmental costs of armed conflict. In this post, Rachel Killean examines the legal avenues that could be open for Ukraine in seeking accountability and redress for environmental damage.
States should back a new intergovernmental panel on pollution
States should support the establishment of an intergovernmental science-policy panel on chemicals, waste and pollution, argues Linsey Cottrell. Doing so could also help draw attention to conflict pollution.
Environmental governance in frozen conflicts
When wars end without clear resolution, conflicts can become frozen. In this post, Clayton Payne examines how the frozen conflicts affecting Georgia’s breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia have influenced their environment, and how it is managed.
A darker shade of “Code Red”: Arms and climate change
This guest commentary from UNIDIR argues that we need to explore how climate change is influencing the trade, use and legacy of conventional weapons – and how arms flows will exacerbate climate insecurity.