War, Chemicals and Environment
Contents: Preface. 1. War, chemicals and the environment. 2. Hazardous wastes. 3. Nuclear power and waste disposal. 4. Action plans for reducing wars and conserving the environment. 5. Technology, environment and disaster management. Bibliography. Index.
"Threatening the survival of a population by destroying the ecological conditions for its existence has been used as a military strategy on many occasions. George Washington, for example, drew up such a strategy to defeat Indian tribes assisting the British during the American Revolution. After World War I, the technique of substituting air power for ground forces evolved. In the exercise of colonial power the British used the air method to interrupt the normal life of tribes people in Western Asia. Their strategy was to deprive the offending tribes of their normal means of livelihood by forcing tem to abandon their grazing grounds and water wells and to make life intolerable for them. The use of air power during World War II led to the area bombing (referred to as carpet bombing) of cities--a strategy explicitly designed to destroy the urban environment and thus bring pressure to bear on the enemy through the non-combatant population.
The Second Indochina (or Vietnam) War of 1961-75 is noted for the widespread and severe environmental damage caused by massive rural area bombing, resulting in extensive chemical and mechanical forest and crop destruction, wide-ranging antipersonnel harassment and area denial, and enormous forced population displacements. In short, this strategy represented the intentional disruption of both the natural and human ecologies of the region. As a result, the mass exodus from rural to urban areas led to the creation of vast refugee camps and urban slums in cities which lacked the economic base to support large increases in population. This in turn led to a rapid deterioration of the urban environment, and toss of adequate potable water, sanitation and public transport services.
This book will be of immense help to all those contemplating to acquire an expert knowledge of the disastrous effects of wars on our environment." (jacket)
