Rendering week 11: pollution: "U.N. Report Calls for More Environmental Protection in Wartime"

The article, which was printed 20, November in New York Times, carries a lot of comment on a report by the United Nations Environment Program and the Environmental Law Institute calls for stronger international laws to protect the environment during times of war. It's called "U.N. Report Calls for More Environmental Protection in Wartime".

Speaking of this situation it's necessary to note that strengthening, enforcing and clarifying existing legislation could help protect "natural assets" during wars. Analyzing the situation in this sphere it's necessary to emphasize that "existing legal instruments should be adapted to reflect the predominantly internal nature of today's armed conflicts", said Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations Secretary general.

Giving appraisal of situation it's necessary to point out that the need for laws to protect economically important ecosystems like aquifers, agricultural lands, parks, national forests and habitats of endangered species. It's very likely that humanitarian organizations agree that something must be done. "Destroying and damaging the natural assets and ecological infrastructure of a country or community should be an issue of highest humanitarian concern," said Achim Steiner, the United Nations Environment Program's executive director. It's an open secret that "the loss of fresh-waters and grazing lands to croplands and forests undermines the survival, the livelihoods and the opportunities for people to recover during and after a conflict", added he.

It's necessary to point out that "destruction and damage to natural resources is not only among the causes of armed conflict, but also presents major problems for civilians trying to cope with the impact of war," said Florian Westphal, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross.

There is a general feeling to believe that "research has shown that it costs much less to prepare communities for disasters than it does to repair them in the aftermath of such an event," said Zoe Chafe, a senior fellow at Worldwatch.

The reporter, Pete Browne, doesn't give his personal attitude to the problem, but I think that any war is the worst what could be. Not only people suffer from war conflicts, but also nature. Any war will be finished one day, but it will take you decades to reconstruct the nature.