International Legal Aspects of the Assessment of Environmental Damage Caused by Military Actions

Abstract

Military actions not only cause massive human casualties and extensive destruction of homes, infrastructure, and other property, but also a significant environmental damage. It raises the issue of the importance of assessment of environmental damage as a necessary prerequisite for obtaining reparations. The paper analyses international legal documents which relate to the issue of assessment of the amount of environmental damage, as well as relevant decisions of international bodies in this sphere. A conclusion was made about the lack of a uniform approach to the assessment of amount of environmental damage, both in international documents and in international judicial practice. The necessity of the adoption of an international document that would establish the methodology which should be used during environmental damage assessment was proved. This paper should determine components of the environment deterioration of which should be compensated.