TEHRAN – Shina Ansari, the head of the Department of Environment (DOE), has highlighted that remaining silent in the face of environmental destruction caused by warmongers is the same as accepting a threat that will, sooner or later, impact everyone.

“The environment is the first silent victim of war and the last to recover from its consequences. Nature does not recognize the end of armed conflict. Environmental destruction may continue to undermine human health, food security, water resources, and biodiversity for decades after the guns fall silent,” the official noted.

She made the remarks while addressing the ninth session of the Committee on Environment and Development (CED9) held from July 1-3 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Elaborating on transboundary environmental challenges such as climate change, air and marine pollution, biodiversity loss, land degradation, dust and sand storms, and waste management challenges, Ansari underlined that environmental destruction resulting from war and military aggression is the most severe and inhumane damage to the environment, as the impacts of these brutal attacks trigger a profound threat to the entire planet.

“When war targets the environment, the victim is not merely one nation—it is the shared heritage of humanity. Therefore, protecting the environment must become a common global responsibility; the aggressors must be held accountable for their crimes and provide full compensation for the environmental damage they have caused. Effective implementation of this principle not only serves justice for the affected State but also plays an essential role in preventing the recurrence of such devastation.”

Referring to some of the gravest war crimes and environmental catastrophes caused by the warmongering of major powers in the region in the past decades, she said that over the past year, the US-Israel coalition has imposed two illegal wars against Iran.

They deliberately targeted Minab School, the girls’ sports club in Lamerd, oil facilities, drinking water infrastructure, and residential areas, which constitute grave crimes that demand a unified response from the civilized and freedom-loving nations of the world, Ansari highlighted.

“The very initiation of these acts of aggression constituted a blatant violation of the fundamental principles of the civilized international order. Equally disturbing has been the silence and inaction of the international institutions entrusted with safeguarding peace and justice.

Carbon emissions equivalent to the annual emissions of sixty countries generated within only the first two weeks of the attacks, serious damage to the ecologically sensitive waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, reckless attacks against peaceful nuclear facilities, and widespread destruction of biodiversity are only some of the most significant consequences, whose impacts will extend far beyond Iran’s borders.

For this reason, protecting the environment during armed conflicts is not merely a moral obligation; it is a binding obligation under international law that must be respected and implemented with greater determination.

The international community needs to recognize environmental security as an essential pillar of international peace and security. Lasting peace cannot exist without a healthy environment, and environmental destruction anywhere in the world can generate consequences that transcend national boundaries,” Ansari further noted.

The official urged the international community to strengthen international mechanisms to prevent environmental destruction during armed conflicts, assess environmental damage, document environmental impacts, ensure accountability of aggressors, and secure effective compensation.

She went on to announce Iran’s commitment to regional cooperation for conserving biodiversity, combating climate change and air pollution, protecting marine ecosystems, sustainably managing natural resources, addressing dust and sand storms, and promoting the exchange of knowledge and technology despite these immense challenges, and decades of unjust unilateral sanctions that have deprived my country of access to the financial and technological mechanisms established under international environmental conventions.

The CED9 brought together ministers, leaders, and policymakers to reinforce regional cooperation to address key environmental and development challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, sustainable resource management, and disaster risks.

The session consisted of a ministerial segment on the first day, followed by a senior official segment on the second and third days. A series of associated events, side events, and exhibitions was organized to foster in-depth dialogue and facilitate substantive exchanges among participants.

It reviewed progress in the priority areas outlined in the Ministerial Declaration, on Protecting Our Planet through Regional Cooperation and Solidarity in Asia and the Pacific, adopted by the Committee at its seventh session in 2022, as well as standing issues to be addressed by the Committee, with an added focus on promoting synergistic policymaking and integrated implementation to advance the Sustainable Development Goals and address the triple planetary crisis — climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

The CED is a subsidiary body of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). It is convened every two years to review regional trends, identify priorities for action, promote dialogue, consider common regional positions, and promote a collaborative approach to addressing the development challenges of the region between Governments and civil society, the private sector, the UN System, and other international organizations. The Committee provides recommendations to the Commission. Every four years, the Committee is convened at the ministerial level to provide high-level guidance.

Environment remains a victim of violations of international law

United Nations experts say that beyond immediate destruction, armed conflicts disrupt ecosystems, deplete natural resources, contaminate the environment, and jeopardize the health of the planet for future generations.

The Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques (ENMOD) was adopted in 1976 to prohibit the use of environmental modification techniques as a means of warfare. In addition, Additional Protocol I (1977) to the Geneva Conventions includes two key provisions — Articles 35 and 55 — prohibiting methods or means of warfare that are intended, or may be expected, to cause widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment.

However, the adequacy of these two instruments was called into question during the 1990–1991 Persian Gulf War. The extensive pollution caused by the deliberate destruction of more than 600 oil wells in Kuwait, along with subsequent claims of $85 billion in environmental damage, led to growing calls to strengthen legal protections for the environment during armed conflict.

Since the start of terrorist attacks by the United States and the Zionist regime against Iran, numerous infrastructures — including oil storage facilities — have been targeted in acts of aggression.

A spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), speaking at a press conference in Geneva, raised concerns about the health and environmental consequences of attacks by Israel and the United States on oil depots in Iran due to the release of toxic pollutants into the air.

The spokesperson stated that these impacts raise “serious questions regarding compliance with the principles of proportionality and precaution under international humanitarian law,” emphasizing that the sites struck did not appear to have been used exclusively for military purposes.

Christian Lindmeier, spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO), also warned that the “black rain” and “acid rain” reported in Tehran following the attacks pose real dangers to public health in Iran, according to Al Jazeera.

Public concern over the targeting or misuse of the environment during wartime first reached its peak during the Vietnam War, widely regarded as the longest war of the 20th century and a military defeat for the United States. In the US, the conflict gave rise to what became known as the “Vietnam Syndrome,” reflecting widespread public aversion to American military interventions abroad.

MT/MG