Title
ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY UNDER FIRE : DIGITAL TOOLS FOR MONITORING AND MITIGATING ECOLOGICAL DAMAGE IN ARMED CONFLICT
Authors
[ 1 ] Wydział Wojskowy, Akademia Sztuki Wojennej | [ P ] employee
Scientific discipline (Law 2.0)
Year of publication
2025
Published in
Article type
scientific article
Publication language
english
Keywords
PL
Abstract
EN The environmental impacts of modern armed conflict pose a growing challenge to global security governance. While the human and economic costs of war are well-documented, its ecological effects, including deforestation, water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss are less examined in mainstream security studies. Given the rising instability of the climate and the strategic use of environmental disruption in warfare, there is an urgent need to include environmental accountability in the operational and legal frameworks of security policy. This article aims to clarify how digital evidence on conflict-related ecological harm can be translated into actionable accountability. Specifically, it: (1) identifies and systematises the main pathways through which armed conflict generates environmental damage and why existing accountability mechanisms rarely activate; (2) assesses the added value and constraints of Earth observation (EO) and AI-based analytics for detecting, quantifying, and attributing harm across four conflict settings (Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen); and (3) derives design principles for a multi-level framework of digital environmental accountability that connects monitoring outputs to legal, institutional, and operational responses. The main research question is: How can Earth observation and artificial intelligence be effectively integrated into legal, institutional, and operational frameworks to enhance environmental accountability during armed conflict? Methodologically, the study uses a qualitative, interdisciplinary approach that combines doctrinal analysis of international humanitarian law and the Rome Statute, empirical case studies (Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Yemen), and technical evaluation of satellite and AI-driven surveillance systems. The findings show that while EO and AI greatly enhance the visibility of ecological damage in conflict zones, their transformative potential relies on institutional integration and normative reform. The article advocates for a multi-level accountability framework connecting digital monitoring to legal mechanisms, military standards, and participatory transparency platforms. In doing so, it reconceives environmental security as a vital part of strategic stability and just warfare in the context of planetary crisis.
Date of online publication
28.12.2025
Pages (from - to)
195 - 213
Comments
Bibliografia, netografia na stronach 211-213.
License type
CC BY (attribution alone)
Open Access Mode
open journal
Open Access Text Version
final published version
Release date
28.12.2025
Date of Open Access to the publication
at the time of publication
Full text of article
Access level to full text
public
Ministry points / journal
70
This website works thanks to the software SINUS
created by Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center
Log in to submit to SIS: