Environmental impact of war [ [ File : BrennendeOelquellenKuwait1991 . jpg | thumb | right | [ [ Kuwaiti oil fires | Kuwaiti oil fires set by retreating Iraqi forces ] ] during the [ [ Gulf war ] ] caused a dramatic decrease in air quality , causing respiratory problems for many Kuwaitis . As well as the cost to human life and society , there is a significant environmental impact of war . [ [ Scorched earth ] ] methods during , or after war have been in use for much of recorded history but with modern technology war can cause a far greater devastation on the [ [ environment ( biophysical ) | environment ] ] . [ [ Unexploded ordnance ] ] can render land unusable for further use , or make access across it dangerous or fatal . Issues . Agent Orange . [ [ Agent Orange ] ] is the [ [ code name ] ] for an [ [ herbicide ] ] and [ [ defoliant ] ] used by the [ [ United States armed forces | U . S . military ] ] in its [ [ herbicidal warfare ] ] program , [ [ Operation Ranch Hand ] ] , during the [ [ Vietnam War ] ] . An estimated 21 , 136 , 000 gal . ( 80 000 m³ ) of Agent Orange were sprayed across South Vietnam , exposing 4 . 8 million Vietnamese people to Agent Orange , and resulting in 400 , 000 deaths and disabilities , and 500 , 000 children born with birth defects . Atomic bombing in Japan . The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was the first use of an atomic weapon and it had a devastating effect on the [ [ built environment ] ] and on human life . The bombs killed as many as 140 , 000 people in Hiroshima and 80 , 000 in Nagasaki by the end of 1945 , roughly half on the days of the bombings . Amongst these , 15 to 20 % died from injuries or illness attributed to [ [ radiation poisoning ] ] . Since then , more have died from leukemia ( 231 observed ) and solid cancers ( 334 observed ) attributed to exposure to radiation released by the bombs . In both cities , the overwhelming majority of the dead were civilians . Depleted uranium munitions . The use of depleted uranium in [ [ munitions ] ] is controversial because of numerous questions about potential long - term health effects . Normal functioning of the kidney , brain , liver , heart , and numerous other systems can be affected by uranium exposure , because in addition to being weakly radioactive , uranium is a [ [ toxic metal ] ] . It remains weakly radioactive because of its long half - life . The aerosol produced during impact and combustion of depleted uranium munitions can potentially contaminate wide areas around the impact sites or can be inhaled by civilians and military personnel . In a three - week period of conflict in Iraq during 2003 , it was estimated over 1000 tons of depleted uranium munitions were used mostly in cities . The [ [ U . S . Department of Defense ] ] claims that no human cancer of any type has been seen as a result of exposure to either natural or depleted uranium . Yet , U . S . DoD studies using cultured cells and laboratory rodents continue to suggest the possibility of leukemogenic , genetic , [ [ reproduction | reproductive ] ] , and [ [ neurological ] ] effects from chronic exposure . In addition , the UK Pensions Appeal Tribunal Service in early 2004 attributed [ [ birth defect ] ] claims from a February 1991 [ [ Gulf War ] ] combat veteran to depleted uranium [ [ poison ] ] ing . Also , a 2005 epidemiology review concluded : " In aggregate the human epidemiological evidence is consistent with increased risk of birth defects in offspring of persons exposed to DU . " Fossil fuel use . With the high degree of mechanisation of the military large amounts of [ [ fossil fuel ] ] s are used . Fossil fuels are a major contributor to [ [ global warming ] ] and climate change , issues of increasing concern . Access to oil resources is also a factor for instigating a war . The [ [ United States Department of Defense ] ] ( DoD ) is a government body with the highest use of fossil fuel in the world . According to the 2005 " CIA World Factbook " , when compared with the consumption per country the DoD would rank 34th in the world in average daily oil use , coming in just behind Iraq and just ahead of Sweden . Gulf War . During the first [ [ Gulf War ] ] the [ [ Kuwaiti oil fires ] ] were a result of the scorched earth policy of Iraqi military forces retreating from Kuwait in 1991 after conquering the country but being driven out by [ [ Coalition of Gulf War | Coalition ] ] military forces . The [ [ Gulf War oil spill ] ] , regarded as the worst oil spill in history , was caused when Iraqi forces opened valves at the Sea Island oil terminal and dumped oil from several tankers into the Persian Gulf . Some American military personnel complained of [ [ Gulf War syndrome ] ] , typified by symptoms including immune system disorders and birth defects in their children . Whether it is due to time spent in active service during the war or for other reasons remains controversial . Intentional flooding . Flooding can be used as scorched earth policy through using water to render land unusable . It can also be used to prevent the movement of military personnel . During the [ [ Second Sino - Japanese War ] ] dykes on the Yellow and the Yangtze Rivers [ [ 1938 Yellow River flood | were breached to halt the advance of Japanese forces ] ] . Also during the [ [ Siege of Leiden ] ] in 1573 the dykes were breached to halt the advance of Spanish forces . During Operation Chastise in Germany during WW2 the Eder and Sorpe river dams were bombed flooding a large area and halting industrial manufacture used by the Germans in the war effort . Testing of nuclear armaments . Testing of [ [ nuclear armament ] ] s has been carried out at various places including Bikini Atoll , the [ [ Marshall Islands ] ] , New Mexico in the US , [ [ Mururoa Atoll ] ] and [ [ Maralinga , South Australia | Maralinga ] ] in Australia . [ [ Downwinders ] ] are individuals and communities who are exposed to [ [ radioactive contamination ] ] and / or [ [ nuclear fallout ] ] from atmospheric and / or underground [ [ nuclear weapons testing ] ] , and [ [ nuclear accidents ] ] . War and environmental law . From a legal standpoint , environmental protection during times of war and military activities is addressed partially by international environmental law . Further sources are also found in areas of law such as general international law , the [ [ laws of war ] ] , [ [ human rights law ] ] and local laws of each affected country . External links . [ [ Category : Aftermath of war ] ] [ [ Category : Environmental issues with war | Environmental issues with war ] ] [ [ Category : Environmental impact by source | War ] ]