Landmines, landscape degradation and proportionality ""
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-26, 10:39authored byKiernan, K
In a recent contribution to this journal reviewing the evolution of laws concerning the protection of the environment during armed conflict, Bothe raised a number of interesting issues related to the severity and persistence of environmental harm. He also identified a number of unresolved issues in the laws surrounding armed conflict, including the need for new laws to ensure protection of particular special places during conflict, and the environmental consequences of specific weapons, including mines. The present contribution takes up these themes from the perspective of the geosciences. It considers the impact of landmines upon nature conservation and environmentally sustainable development, and the duration of their adverse impact on the environment, in the context of the proportionality‚ÄövÑvp of military advantage obtained from deploying land mines relative to the environmental harm that they cause.