Environmental terrorism consists of one or more unlawful or even hostile actions that harm or destroy
environmental resources or deprive others of their use. It is different to environmental vandalism, which is a rather permitted but ethically disputed destruction of environment. More colloquially, the phrase is also used to label actions seen as the unnecessary or unjustified destruction of the environment for personal or corporate gain.
Definition
There are academic and semantic difficulties in defining "terrorism" and specifically "environmental terrorism", but discussions of environmental
terrorism are growing with a focus on identifying possible risks to
natural resources or environmental features. Some,
including in the military
argue that attacks on natural resources can now cause more deaths, property damage, political chaos, and other adverse effects than in previous years.
Chalecki distinguishes between environmental terrorism and
eco-terrorism
Eco-terrorism is an act of violence which is committed in support of environmental causes, against people or property.
The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines eco-terrorism as "...the use or threatened use of violence o ...
. She notes that environmental terrorism can be defined "as the unlawful use of force against in situ environmental resources so as to deprive populations of their benefit(s) and/or destroy other property". In contrast, eco-terrorism is the destruction of property in the interest of saving the environment from human encroachment and destruction. More concisely, environmental terrorism involves targeting natural resources. Eco-terrorism involves targeting the built environment such as roads, buildings and trucks, in defense of natural resources. Other analysts may fail to distinguish between these different threats.
Examples
Incendiary balloons from the Gaza Strip were used to burn down approximately 2,260 acres of woodland in
Israel during the first half of 2018.
[Doug Weir]
"Israeli protected areas seem doomed to be the latest environmental victim of the ongoing conflict"
Conflict and Environment Observatory, July 11, 2018
Children of Fire Initiative
A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger t ...
, an organization believed to be an offshoot of
PKK, claimed responsibility for multiple
arson
Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...
and
wildfire attacks in
Turkey, including
those that happened in 2020.
See also
*
Environmental impact of war
of the environmental impact of war focuses on the modernization of warfare and its increasing effects on the environment. Scorched earth methods have been used for much of recorded history. However, the methods of modern warfare cause far gre ...
*
List of environmental issues
*
1989 California medfly attack
In 1989, a sudden invasion of Mediterranean fruit flies (''Ceratitis capitata'', " medflies") appeared in California and began devastating crops. Scientists were puzzled and said that the sudden appearance of the insects "defies logic", and some sp ...
References
Further reading
*Baechler, G. 1999. “Environmental Degradation and Violent Conflict: Hypotheses, Research Agendas, and Theory-building.” In Ecology, politics, and violent conflict, edited by Mohamed Suliman, 76–112. London: Zed Books.
*The Gilmore Commission. 2000. “Second Annual Report to the President and the Congress of the Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction. II. Toward a National Strategy for Combating Terrorism.” Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 15 December 2000.
*Gleick, P.H. 1993. "Water and conflict." International Security Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 79–112 (Summer 1993).
*Gleick, P.H. 1998. The World's Water 1998-1999: The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources. Covelo, CA: Island Press.
*Lietzmann, K.M. and G.D. Vest. 1999. Environment & Security in an International Context. Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society - Final Report, March 1999. Report No. 232.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 174 pp.
*Schwartz, D.M. 1998. “Environmental Terrorism: Analyzing the Concept” Journal of Peace Research. Vol. 35, No. 4, July 1998, pp. 483–496.
{{Terrorism topics
Environmental crime
Terrorism by method