Introduction: Rethinking International Law and the Protection of the Environment in Relation to Armed Conflict

This is the introductory chapter of the book War and the Environment . The book like the workshop, takes as its starting point the existing International Humanitarian Law (IHL) regime for the protection of the environment during armed conflict, and then goes onto explore the application of other legal regimes that may be relevant to protection of the environment both during armed conflict and, as in the broader context envisaged by the International Law Commission (ILC), in relation to armed conflict. It recognises that the environment may generally be protected as a civilian object. The book explores possible means of addressing at least some of the lacuna in the IHL regime. It deals with issues of accountability for environmental damage with a particular focus on responsibility for predatory resource exploitation as a means of financing armed conflicts. Keywords: armed conflict; civilian object; environment; International Humanitarian Law (IHL) regime; International Law Commission (ILC); predatory resource exploitation