Thought Piece: Nature and Conflict

Images of Destruction

Words like ‘deeply saddened’, ‘horrified’ and ‘angry’ fail to capture the gut-twisting helplessness which many of us feel as the images of destruction fill our screens. Over the last few years we’ve seen people’s lives torn apart in Ukraine, Palestine, Sudan, Iran, Lebanon, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other places experiencing conflict. As a network of young people, we are horrified at the futures which have been stolen and the unimaginable psychological stress which young people who have experienced conflict have endured. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly why now is the moment for this blog when these conflicts have been going on for years. The threat of violence is intensifying and the social and environmental impact of that violence is becoming astronomically larger. A few days ago we saw a tweet from the President of the US claiming that “A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” As a network which cares deeply about nature and people, we cannot remain silent.

Speaking Out On Nature and Conflict

It can feel scary to speak out against something which some might consider outside of your wheelhouse, but we must all acknowledge that war and conflict impacts everything -  including the nature we strive to protect. The exploitative greed which drives nature loss is the same exploitative greed which can drive conflict. The nature sector must stand up to oppose illegal wars of aggression, and we must stand up together. For people and for nature, we must stand against war and against hate. If we care about a proposed housing development threatening a local nature site, chemical pollution in our rivers, or youth engagement in nature decision-making, then we care about the violent destruction of nature, farmland, cities and people’s lives. 

The Devastation of War

On the grounds of nature alone, war is devastating. Bombs do not discriminate and the release of CO2 during destruction, clean up and re-building are astronomical. In Gaza, reconstruction will involve clearing an estimated 61 million tonnes of rubble including millions of tonnes contaminated by asbestos and other hazardous waste. As a sector, we dedicate our time and resources to pushing for changes which human conflict can decimate in a matter of moments. Last year, UK Youth for Nature hosted a reception in Westminster which addressed the issue of PFAS pollution. PFAS are a group of highly persistent synthetic chemicals which are building up in our ecosystems, threatening wildlife and people. A recent study found that the use of fiber-optic drones are on the rise in Russia and Ukraine, distributing 523 tonnes of PFAS-bearing material across approximately 50,000 km² of operational areas. 

These facts can open the door to feelings of self doubt - do our small daily actions still matter in the face of such unimaginable destruction? While Goliath is busy destroying buildings, does it matter if David does a local litter pick? The answer for us is a resounding yes. Everything matters. Every voice, every life, every corner of wilderness. And we will continue to fight for a fairer, greener future. 

Campaigning for Nature and Life

UK Youth for Nature is a network of 16-35-year-olds from across the UK. We work to protect our local wildlife and to empower young people to stand up for nature. We care deeply about nature and youth empowerment. Those feelings do not stop at national borders or at the boundaries of what might be considered our “campaign focuses”. While our main focus will always be driving positive policy change for nature in the UK, we cannot turn a blind eye to the destruction of nature and life which war and conflict bring. We will continue to speak out and to join others in condemning war and hate.

We owe it to the people facing unimaginable horror. 

We owe it to our community.

We owe it to nature.