We observe with anxiety and deep tension that devastating wars are going on in some countries for a long time. After going through the news on those wars, experts realised that there was room for discussions and dialogues to avoid wars and establish peace. In that case, all the leaders across the globe should love democracy and leave their obstinacy, intolerance, greed for power and wealth. Peace-loving people should be aware of warmongers and power-hungry leaders to avoid them. Therefore, the United Nations should play an important role in preventing and ending wars and armed conflict. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) should raise awareness among people globally that it is easy to pollute the environment through wars and armed conflict; but truly hard and difficult to save it from pollution.
Considering the negative impacts of wars, the world leaders must establish democracy and peace in the world in real sense to save the valuable lives of the millions. It is the best way so that people can live in peace instead of dying mercilessly. Above all, everyone in the world has the right to live in peace in a safe environment. No one has the right to kill anyone. All the leaders, their followers, and the people must protect all the women, men and children’s human rights.
Marking the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict, United Nations, former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon once said, “We must recognise peace and security as a critical ‘fourth dimension’ of sustainable development. We must also acknowledge that durable peace and post-conflict development depend on environmental protection and good governance of natural resources.”
A United Nations statement reads, “Though mankind has always counted its war casualties in terms of dead and wounded soldiers and civilians, destroyed cities and livelihoods, the environment has often remained the unpublicised victim of war. Water wells have been polluted, crops torched, forests cut down, soils poisoned, and animals killed to gain military advantage. Furthermore, the UNEP has found that over the last 75 years, at least 50 percent of all internal conflicts have been linked to the exploitation of natural resources, whether high-value resources such as timber, diamonds, gold and oil, or scarce resources such as fertile land and water.
Studies show that war and climate change are deeply interconnected, with military activities accounting for roughly 6 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Armed conflicts drive emissions through fuel-intensive operations, infrastructure destruction, and ecosystem damage, for example, in Ukraine and Gaza. Conversely, climate-driven resource scarcity, such as groundwater depletion, increases vulnerability and conflict risk. Warfare inflicts profound, long-lasting damage on the environment, acting as a major, often overlooked, driver of ecological destruction and climate change. Military actions cause massive pollution (air, water, soil), destroy ecosystems, release vast greenhouse gases, and hinder sustainable development. Conflicts involving natural resources have also been found to be twice as likely to relapse. The United Nations attaches great importance to ensuring that action on the environment is part of conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peacebuilding strategies. Because there can be no durable peace if the natural resources that sustain livelihoods and ecosystems are destroyed.”
So, to avoid wars and prevent the environment pollution, all of us must to promote tolerance, respect, dialogue and cooperation among different nations. Besides, the world leaders should play an important role believing in their hearts that wars are not the solutions rather problems for all.
Leaders should think of the safety of human life and the environment. Renowned philosopher Bertrand Russell perfectly said, “Hatred of enemies is easier and more intense than love of friends. But from men who are more anxious to injure opponents than to benefit the world at large no great good is to be expected.”
This is the right time for the people of the whole world to raise their voice against war and armed conflict. Also, we need to take a strong stance against war and warmongers. From today our slogan should be: prevent war and armed conflict, protect the environment, save the world and its people immediately.
The writer is a journalist, poet, researcher, and columnist
