Relationship between International Law of the Environment and International Law on Armed Conflict

The importance and essential role of the environment in human life and the evolution of the human being is indisputable, while war is one of the destructive activities of humankind and has caused environmental degradation. We see that environment, as the most important element of human survival, has the least importance in international law of war. As we know, the techniques used in the war can have many destructive environmental effects, hence the protection of the environment during the wartime is considered as a part of international law, although these rules are not comprehensive in terms of protecting the environment, but they represent an improvement in the status of the environment in international law of war. In the field of environmental protection during the war, there are some disparate rules, most of which are mentioned in I Protocol 1977, Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the ENMOD Convention. These treaties include general rules regarding the protection of the environment during the war through the prohibition of the use of tools and strategies that have a massive and sustained impact on the environment. Indeed, the need for environmental protection has been linked to the international environmental law and the international law of armed conflict, and in both areas, it seeks to minimize the environmental degradation resulting from armed conflict. Ultimately, by examining rules on environmental protection during the war, it can be concluded that these rules are not comprehensive and sufficient to protect the most important element of human survival, and it also requires stronger enforcement guarantees. Meanwhile, considering this point that these laws can only be applied for the interests of the great political powers of the world, they should seek to reduce the influence of political issues in the implementation of the international law of war. They must be changed to the customary and binding rules for all countries in the world .