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War and the Environment. War and the Environment. Passive Use of Environment Collateral Effects Use of Environment as a Weapon Environmental Modification to Aid Own Operations or Impede Enemy Eco-Terrorism Military actions may include some or all of these components to varying degrees.
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War and the Environment • Passive Use of Environment • Collateral Effects • Use of Environment as a Weapon • Environmental Modification to Aid Own Operations or Impede Enemy • Eco-Terrorism • Military actions may include some or all of these components to varying degrees.
Collateral Damage • No Military Intent to Cause Damage • Rutting by Vehicles • Cratering (Bombturbation) • Fire • Injury to Plants and Animals • Threat to mountain gorillas from civil war in Africa • May actually be less damaging to flora and fauna than normal commerce, development and agriculture. • Chemical Contamination • Nuclear Accidents • Accidental release of chemicals or radiation, as opposed to chemical or nuclear warfare. • Vandalism
Collateral Protection • Siegfried Line • Former East European Frontiers • Military Reservations • Political Power to Resist Development • Vested Interest in Preserving Realistic Training Environment
Environmental Modification to Aid Own Operations or Impede Enemy • Small-Scale: Virtually all Military Construction • Large-Scale: • Aid Own Operations • Deprive Enemy of Cover • Improve Own Mobility • Impede Enemy Operations • Impair Enemy Mobility • Deprive of Supplies
Environmental Modification to Aid Own Operations • Deprive Enemy of Cover or Sanctuary • South Vietnam - Defoliation • Improve Own Mobility • Tactical: • River modification - Civil War • Strategic: • German Autobahns • U.S. Interstate System • Suez and Panama Canals
World War I and Highways • Railroads insufficient for Army’s needs • Army turned to truck convoys • Civilians found convoy routes featured such revolutionary innovations as: • Route Markings • Regular Maintenance • Snow Removal
Suez Canal • Connections between Nile and Red Sea dug in ancient times • Modern canal by Ferdinand de Lesseps 1858-1869 • Easy terrain • Principal winner: Britain enabled to extend military reach • Red Sea organisms invading Mediterranean
The Suez-Panama Connection • De Lesseps took on the job of building a canal across Panama • Nobody else could have kept the project going as long as it did • 22,000 died before project abandoned in 1893 • French actually excavated about 1/3 of canal • Built railroad across Panama
Nicaragua or Panama? • French lobbied hard to have the U.S. take over their route in Panama • An ill-timed postage stamp killed the Nicaragua route • French investors in Panama bought out
The Panama Canal • U.S. and Colombia sign treaty in 1901 to build canal • Colombian Senate refuses to ratify • U.S. backs separatist revolt in Panama
How U.S. Succeeded • Disease control • Life support for workers to ensure long term commitment • Get a Bigger Hammer • Bigger equipment • U.S. experience with railroads
The Future? • Largest ships cannot use the Panama Canal despite improvements • Sea Level Canal? • Panama? • Nicaragua? • Environmental Impacts?