The Ecological Footprint of Genocide
Published June 22, 2009 @ 03:00PM PT
The impact of genocide, and war more broadly, extends far beyond its direct targets, or a specific event --- the disruption and destruction have far-reaching ripple effects that touch all aspects of social, political, economic, and ecological life, and beyond.
Case in point:
Satellite images from NASA show that 99% of the Rwandan Gishwati rainforest has been destroyed, in part because of the large number of refugees who sought refuge in the forest during the 1994 genocide. (No fingers of blame to the refugees, of course, but rather to the perpetrators of the conflict.
In Darfur, environmental degradation is one of the drivers of conflict, and the protracted displacement crisis, as well as the humanitarian and peacekeeping operations, further exacerbates the problem:
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said: "The primary role of international peacekeeping forces and aid agencies is to keep the peace and support vulnerable communities during difficult and distressing times."
"But they also have the responsibility to ensure that their presence and operations have a minimal ecological footprint and do not aggravate environmental degradation, which may be a dimension of the conflict," he added.
It's hard to imagine, though, how humanitarians and peacekeepers can effectively balance so many concerns, in such difficult environments. Is it possible to minimize the ecological footpring of conflict, or will the environment continue to be another overlooked casualty of war?
[Photo of Gishwait Forest from NASA.]
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Author
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Michelle became involved in the anti-genocide cause at a young age, and has been involved in various activist endeavors, including the Teach Against Genocide pilot campaigns, ever since.
