War as an ecological catastrophe: minimization strategies

Abstract

In this article, an attempt is made to assess the environmental harm from military conflicts, military-environmental problems. The authors note that military actions cause direct and indirect harm to all ecosystems, and the preparation and conduct of military operations require enormous material resources obtained through predatory exploitation of population and natural resources. Conditionally, the impact of war on the environment can be divided into four stages: preparation for war; maintenance and operation of military equipment and military facilities; direct military operations; postwar reconstruction.