Nature and Wars Seminar 4: Pollution as a war consequence

“Toxic Crimes: Finding Data and Remedies following Environmental Harm caused by War”
Freek Van der Vet (University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland)
Abstract: While we have a growing understanding of the impact of conflict pollution and toxics as well as a growing body of legal protections for the environment during war, we know less of what agency remains for people, lawyers, and risk experts, to respond to this attritional violence over time, when the fog of war seems to render these agents powerless. Without a thorough understanding of agency—the way experts and rights activists manage access to monitoring, litigate cases, and expose toxic risks—we risk undervaluing how people working in toxic environments pursue remedies and how these contexts offer opportunities for remedy. Taking Ukraine as a case study, in this talk we will examine the broader issues around conflict pollution and data collection in a violent context and how different stakeholders collect data and push for remedies and prosecution of environmental crimes.

Dr. Freek van der Vet is Docent in Sociology of Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki (Finland) and PI of the interdisciplinary projects the Toxic Crimes Project on environmental protection in armed conflict and the Toxic Exposure Project on remedies following the public health and environmental harms of toxic exposure (funded by the Kone Foundation). His work covers legal mobilization under authoritarianism in Russia, strategic litigation at international human rights courts, the protection of human rights defenders, and the protection of the environment during war. His publications appeared in Law & Society Review, Law & Social Inquiry, International Studies Review, Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, other journals.

"Beneath the Battlefield: The Hidden Crisis in War-Damaged Soils"
Naomi Rintoul-Hynes (Canterbury Christ Church University, UK)
Abstract: Although soil contamination from anthropogenic sources such as heavy industry is well documented, contamination from warfare remains critically under-researched. Military activity introduces pollutants into soils through ammunition, explosives, vehicles, and infrastructure. While demining reduces immediate risks, contamination can persist for a century or more without remediation, especially where remnants of war remain long after conflict ends. Numerous military-related contaminants can pose risks to human health, particularly through consumption of crops grown in contaminated soils. This is a major concern for Ukraine, given its reliance on agriculture. Impacts on local ecosystems may also be significant but are less frequently assessed. In a rare field study conducted during active conflict, we collected 274 soil samples across Ukraine, including high-intensity conflict zones. Over 20 elements (mainly metals and metalloids) and key physio-chemical soil indicators were analysed. Results show that military activity has degraded soil health, with many contaminant concentrations exceeding safe limits – posing risks to agriculture, human health, and ecosystems. These findings highlight the need for comprehensive monitoring and targeted remediation, particularly in areas identified as high risk.

Bio: Dr. Naomi Rintoul-Hynes is a Reader (Associate Professor) in Soil Science and Environmental Management at Canterbury Christ Church University and Research Lead for Biological Sciences. Her background is in environmental science, with teaching focused on ecology, pollution, agriculture, and the vital role of soils as a biodiverse and rapidly diminishing resource. Her research explores environmental pollution, urban green spaces, and agricultural systems, with a particular focus on how heavy industry and warfare drive environmental degradation and affect food security and human health. She is currently investigating the environmental impacts of warfare, including the pollution of agricultural land in Ukraine. Naomi is also Principal Investigator on the Global Food and Water Security Project based at Princeton University. Over the past decade, she has developed a strong soil science research and teaching programme, supervised more than 60 student projects, and led innovations in field and laboratory education. She is committed to collaboration, mentoring early-career researchers, and connecting science with real-world environmental challenges.

“The geopolitical ecology of the military emissions gap”
Benjamin Neimark (School of Business Management, Queen Mary, University of London, UK)
Abstract: One aspect of the Israel-Gaza war, and indeed of any war, is the less discussed direct and indirect climate impacts of armed conflicts. Militaries are not very transparent, and it is difficult to access the data needed to run greenhouse gas emissions calculations. If it is up to researchers to hold militaries to account for their own emissions, it is therefore incumbent for us to have the theoretical and empirical tools necessary to do so. Using a geopolitical ecology approach, I will present two different examples of how we are trying to fill this military emission gap. The first is a recent study of the GHG emissions of the Israel-Gaza conflict, and a second project on the mapping of military critical mineral supply chains.

Benjamin Neimark is a Reader in geopolitical ecology at the School of Business and Management at Queen Mary University of London. Benjamin is a human geographer and political ecologist whose current research looks at the US military as a global climate actor and, more broadly, the environment footprints of the world’s militaries. He leads a new UKRI grant on military critical mineral supply chains and decarbonisation - which uses a geopolitical ecology lens to examine the critical geopolitical and political economy of large institutions, such as militaries, and their role in multi-scalar environment and climate breakdown. Two recent publications of interest: Hottest of the Hotspots: The Rise of Eco-precarious Conservation Labor in Madagascar and Concrete Impacts: Blast Walls, Wartime Emissions, and the US Occupation of Iraq

“Environmental Governance in War Zones: Evidence from Colombia, Nepal, and the Philippines”
Tobias Ide (Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF) and the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany)
Abstract: Armed conflicts and political violence have devastating consequences for the environment. However, even during active conflicts, environmental governance does not completely vanish, but is often taken on by a range of armed and civilian actors. Focusing on Leftist insurgents in Colombia, Nepal, and the Philippines, the presentation shows how rebel groups govern disasters during armed conflicts. It also elaborates the motivation behind and problems occurring when non-state armed groups deal with disasters. The findings illustrate that war zones are not characterised by environmental anarchy or a lack of governance, but that insurgents can provide important services, particularly in remote or insecure regions.

Tobias Ide is Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF) and the Technical University of Darmstadt. Before that, he worked at the University of Melbourne and Murdoch University Perth. Holding PhDs in Political Science and Earth Science, he studies the intersections of climate change, the environment, peace, and conflict. This has resulted in several books, over 60 journal articles, and strong engagement with a range of decision makers (e.g., NATO, World Bank, UN).

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