Introduction

Since the First World War, industrial warfare has harnessed the power of ‘nature’ to create ever-more efficient means of destroying human life through its use of chemical, biological and nuclear technology. At the same time, it has developed the potential to cause what has been termed ‘ecocide’, examples of which include the long-term impact of high-density herbicides in Vietnam, and the Kuwaiti oil fires. As in other areas of modern life, in warfare nature has been understood as: ‘either logistical problems to be overcome and defeated or opportunities to be exploited.’ Conflict in resource-deprived nations can lead to the mass-movement of refugees into environments that may not be able to support them. And yet, it was an investigation by the US military – in an attempt to control the environment – that led to the first research into climate change. Climate change itself has been regarded as an issue for ‘national security’, and a war that ‘we are fighting’