Environmental Damage Resulting from the NATO Military Action in Yugoslavia

Columbia Journal of Environmental Law, Vol. 25, No. 1, 2000

45 Pages Posted: 30 May 2000

See all articles by Aaron Schwabach

Aaron Schwabach

UALR William H. Bowen School of Law

Abstract

During the 1999 war between NATO and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, NATO targeted and destroyed chemical plants and storage facilities at Pancevo, Kragujevac, and elsewhere. A United Nations inspection team found that the NATO attacks had caused measurable, but not catastrophic, environmental damage wityin the territory of Yugoslavia. This article explores the historical evolution and current status of the body of law regarding protection of the environment during wartime, as well as the legality of NATO's actions. It concludes that NATO probably did not violate international law as it currently stands. However, the postwar reactions of states, including the NATO member states, may show a growing intolerance for environmentally destructive military tactics. Chemical plants, in particular, may in the future be proscribed as ultrahazardous targets, as dams, dikes, and nuclear power plants are currently.

JEL Classification: K32, K33

Suggested Citation

Schwabach, Aaron, Environmental Damage Resulting from the NATO Military Action in Yugoslavia. Columbia Journal of Environmental Law, Vol. 25, No. 1, 2000, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=224028

Aaron Schwabach (Contact Author)

UALR William H. Bowen School of Law ( email )

1201 McMath Street
Little Rock, AR 72202
United States

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