This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
There are a record number of conflicts raging around the world – from Ukraine and Gaza to Sudan and Myanmar. Alongside their devastating human toll, these conflicts are all wreaking havoc on the environment.
One of the key ways war leads to environmental harm is by leaving behind unexploded weaponry. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has become the most landmine-contaminated country in the world. By January 2024, roughly 25,000 sq km of agricultural land there was estimated to have been contaminated with landmines and other so-called explosive remnants of war.
The contamination of Ukrainian farmland – alongside the physical damage from exploded mines – has contributed to a sharp decrease in agricultural activity, with wheat production in Ukraine falling by 41% between 2021 and the end of 2024. Ukraine has historically been one of the world’s largest agricultural exporters.
The damage wars are causing to land is also occurring at a time when climate change is driving land degradation. Rising temperatures, increased aridity and the intensification of extreme weather events are leading to reduced soil fertility and desertification. This often compounds the impact of unexploded mines and bombs on the land.
The human toll from explosive remnants of war is quite visible, as the number of deaths resulting from unexploded mines and bombs can be traced. In April 2024, for example, the Ukrainian government reported that landmines and other unexploded ordnance had accounted for more than 1,000 civilian casualties since the start of Russia’s invasion.
But the impact of explosive remnants on the land is less immediately apparent. Research in Cambodia, which was bombed extensively by the US military during the Vietnam war (1955-1975), suggests that unexploded ordnance continues to harm agricultural productivity there today.
Many of the bombs that landed on soft and highly fertile land failed to detonate. They continue to render the land hazardous. Due to the danger of unexploded bombs, many Cambodian farmers avoid using tractors and other agricultural techniques that could increase agricultural production.
Studies also show that explosive remnants of war affect soil quality. Unexploded…
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