Environmental Impact of War and Conflict in Iraq

Introduction: War and Environmental Devastation

The consequences of wars and military conflicts are generally viewed in terms of human devastation; however, the local environments that support human life are equally devastated. In Iraq, for example, decades of conflict have resulted in the deterioration of land and the collapse of the marshlands that are vital to the region. In order for Iraq to secure a stable and sustainable future, the many environmental challenges the country faces must be addressed.

UNEP Assessments and Iraq's Environmental Challenges

Iraq has endured decades of recent conflicts, beginning with the 1980s Iran-Iraq War and continuing through the military actions of 1991 and 2003. These military conflicts, "compounded by a lack of focus on issues and insufficient resources allocated to the environment, have contributed to the present environmental problems."

Since early 2003, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been studying environmental issues in Iraq, beginning when the Government of Switzerland funded a six-week desk study on the country's environmental situation. Conducted during the conflict itself, all available information concerning Iraq's environmental condition was compiled and analyzed, resulting in the April 2003 "UNEP Desk Study on the Environment in Iraq." The study outlined immediate environmental concerns that "pose a direct threat to the health and livelihoods of the Iraqi people. In particular, threats to water, waste management, degradation of the Marshlands, and pollution from weapons and war-damaged sites were highlighted."

In mid-2003, two field missions were conducted in Iraq to study the environmental situation and priorities. These missions resulted in extensive input to the United Nations Development Group Needs Assessment, as well as a published report entitled "Environment in Iraq: UNEP Progress Report." Since the establishment of the Iraq Ministry of Environment in August 2003, UNEP has focused on helping to identify needs and on strengthening the Ministry's capacity for environmental management.

The 1991 Gulf War: Oil Fires, Slicks, and Ecological Rebound

Although the loss of human life is certainly the most serious consequence of war, the environment also becomes a casualty long after the end of armed conflict, resulting in ecological damage and contamination. The Gulf War of 1991 resulted in an "environmental nightmare of burning oil wells, oil slicks, and polluted croplands"; however, the subsequent Iraqi conflict may prove to be even more devastating.

During the 1991 Gulf War, Iraqi soldiers set fire to some six hundred oil wells as they retreated from Kuwait, leaving towering pillars of fire and columns of smoke venting from the wells for over eight months, "spreading toxic fumes in all directions." Iraq's military also "unleashed the largest oil slick ever over lowlands and farms," resulting in the death of approximately twenty-five thousand birds, the degradation of fisheries, and trees poisoned by acid rain.

Despite the widespread destruction, the region rebounded faster than experts predicted. According to Jonathan Lash, President of the World Resources Institute, many had feared the damage would be permanent. Although some evidence of contamination remains and the duration of toxins in the water column is uncertain, the relatively warm water meant that natural cleanup proceeded remarkably quickly. Kuwaiti lands, however—especially agricultural lands—were not so fortunate. Today, vast areas remain "caked with hardened residue of oil vapor and carbon that has made agriculture difficult," and Kuwaitis claim it killed approximately eighty percent of their livestock.