Pages

My Editorials - Dr Sharad Singh

Sunday, March 6, 2022

Article | Every War Is One-Sided Attack On The Environment | Dr (Ms) Sharad Singh | MP Chronicle


⛳Friends ! Today my article "Every War Is One-Sided Attack On The Environment" has been published in the Sunday edition of #MP_Chronicle. Please read it. 
🌷Hearty thanks MP Chronicle🙏
-------------------------------------


Article | Every War Is One-Sided Attack On The Environment
-  Dr (Ms) Sharad Singh

Writer, Author & Social Activist
Blogger - "Climate Diary Of Dr (Ms) Sharad Singh"

WHO WANTS WAR? General public, grass, tree, flower, leaves, horse, cat, dog?  These create a range of biodiversity but they also never want war.  So who wants war? Don't pollute the environment by missiles & bomb.  Not only humans are killed in war, many trees, animals, birds are also killed by rockets and missiles. Does anyone have data on how many plants, how many birds, how many animals, how many insects are being killed every day due to war? And how much noise pollution is there?

We didn't see World War I, those born after 1945 didn't even see World War II, but have seen its horrors in the form of the effects of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which not only the then but also the later generation suffered. Our today's generation has seen the Iran-Iraq war, Afghanistan has been wounded by missiles, and the latest example is in front of us in Ukraine. The figures of casualties of soldiers and civilians are in front of our eyes every day. Who wants war? General public, grass, tree, flower, leaves, horse, cat, dog?  These create a range of biodiversity but they also never want war.  So who wants war? Don't pollute the environment by missiles & bomb.  Not only humans are killed in war, many trees, animals, birds are also killed by rockets and missiles.

It is estimated that only in Britain more than 750,000 pet cats and dogs were killed in the first week of World War II. A book written by Hilda Kean 'The British Cat and Dog Massacre: The Real Story of World War Two's Unknown Tragedy' tells us this horrible truth. It tells the story of the British pet massacre, the September 1939 time period at the start of World War II, when hundreds of thousands of British family pets were preemptively euthanized in anticipation of air raids and resource shortages. But it is also a bitter truth that this death was the wish of man and not of those domesticated animals. Humans were fighting a war, but innocent pets were put to death.

They were domesticated animals that were directly killed. But many animals were those that were used in war. The US military trained over 10,000 dogs for the war effort and sent some 2,000 overseas to serve in combat. Cats were used on ships, in barracks and in military field offices to help control rats. Many cats were killed along with humans. They also made extensive use of mules, horses, and even pigeons for various types of war-related jobs. During the First World War, horses were needed to perform cavalry roles, but were also vital for moving supplies, equipment, guns and ammunition. For the transportation these animals were used on a big scale. Eight million horses, donkeys and mules died in World War I, three-quarters of them from the extreme conditions they worked in. Dogs played an important military role for most European armies during World War I, serving in a variety of tasks. Dogs hauled machine guns and supply carts. They also served as messengers, often delivering their missives under a hail of fire. It is estimated that 484,143 only British horses, mules, camels and bullocks died between 1914 and 1918. Pigeons played a vital part in World War One as they proved to be an extremely reliable way of sending messages. Such was the importance of pigeons that over 100,000 were used in the war with an astonishing success rate of 95% getting through to their destination with their message. Unfortunately, a large number of pigeons were killed in the line of duty during the First World War.

Dolphins were used by the Navy in the South Pacific in World War II to guard ships and search for mines. Of course today, dolphins in the U.S. Newly related to the Navy, they are kept as important allies in guarding ships and searching for mines. But serving humans in this way is not the natural function of dolphins. That is, the creatures of water, land, and air were used by humans in the war. It was the use of those animals who were not concerned with war. They did not know about geo-borders or political greed.

World wars have had a profound effect on air and water as well. Oil contamination in the Atlantic Ocean due to World War II shipwrecks is estimated at over 15 million tonnes. Oil spills are difficult to clean up and take many years to clean. To this day, traces of oil can still be found in the Atlantic Ocean from the naval shipwrecks which happened during World War II. This is the tragic environmental impact of war. Undoubtedly, It is the tragic environmental impact of wars that include World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War, the Rwandan Civil War, the Kosovo War and the Gulf War that water and air were polluted by destroyers weapons.

The bombardment of cities and the destruction of forests, farms, transport systems and irrigation networks during World War II produced devastating environmental consequences. The environmental consequences of the Gulf War in 1991 affected the air, the marine environment, and the terrestrial ecosystem. In total over 84,000 tons of bombs were dropped over an area of about 4,000 square miles during 43 days of war. Hence most of the mangroves and marshes in the wetlands along the affected coast were destroyed by the oil. Fifty to 90% of the fauna of these areas, mainly crabs, amphipods and mollusks, were also killed by the oil spill.

The boundaries of the land can be changed by war. In a war one may win and the other may lose. But the environment which is destroyed by war, it is very difficult to restore it. Many years old trees get scorched, burnt, fall due to bombarding and missiles. Whereas new trees take years to grow and become mature. The air gets polluted. Rivers, ponds, and ocean water get polluted. In fact, war is not between humans but like a one-sided attack on the environment. It is better that we control our political greed and do not allow war to happen. But unfortunately we have suffered environmental damage with the horrors of the war in Ukraine.
-----------------------------  
(06.03.2022)
#ClimateCahnge  #MyClimateDiary
#KnowYourClimate
#KnowYourEnvironment
#unclimatechange
#nature #Environment #ClimateCrisis #Attack #War

1 comment: