Ecocide in the Modern World: Environmental, Health Economic and Human Rights Dimensions of War‑Related Environmental Destruction

Abstract

The concept of “ecocide” has emerged as a proposed fifth core international crime to capture severe, widespread, or long‑term damage to the environment, including the harms associated with contemporary armed conflicts. Ecocide is increasingly invoked in relation to recent wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen, and the Persian Gulf, where attacks on industrial facilities, energy infrastructure, and ecosystems have produced large‑scale pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, and long‑lasting contamination. This paper traces the evolution of the ecocide concept in international legal and political debates, examines the environmental impacts of recent wars, and analyzes their health, economic, and human rights consequences. Drawing on recent scientific reviews and policy analyses, it argues that war‑related environmental destruction exacerbates direct and indirect health burdens, diverts resources away from social and environmental investments, and undermines emerging human rights to a healthy environment. The paper concludes that formal recognition of ecocide, coupled with stronger protection of the environment in armed conflict, could help close accountability gaps and integrate environmental integrity into contemporary understandings of peace, security, and justice.