Environment: The First Casualty in War
SDPI to organize special lecture on;
Environmental Impact of Military Conflict and Operations
ISLAMABAD, June 30, 2011 (INFN): SDPI is arranging a special lecture about a unique subject that examines an often neglected aspect of war – the environmental impact of military conflict and operations on Monday, July 04th, 2011 at 03:00-05:00 pm in SDPI Seminar Hall, 38, Embassy Road, G-6/3 Islamabad.
The environment is frequently a victim in times of conflict as deliberate destruction is a consequence of various military strategies. The talk focuses on the importance of identifying issues and methods to document the environmental impact of Pakistan’s ongoing war and raises questions about the overwhelming silence on the impact of war on Pakistan’s ecosystems.
Military actions have repercussions for local, national and global environment. Emergent military technologies have increased the scope and severity of damage incurred by war. A key question raised is: What impact is the transportation of weapons and troops, activities of militants, military operations and frequent bombing of Pakistan’s northern areas having on its ecosystems?
Issues related to measuring the impact of ecological footprints, boot prints and hoof prints and emerging discourses that frame policy choices or their absence also need to be reviewed. Among these discourses are climate change, military greening, national natural security and human and gendered security that are being actively framed by various communities. What are appropriate responses to these ecological threats?
Dr. Robina Bhatti, Professor, Department of Global Studies, California State University, Monterey Bay will deliver lecture on the occasion. The lecture will be chaired by Ms. Foqia Sadiq Khan, Associate Research Fellow, Sustainable Development Policy Institute.