Environmental terrorism consists of one or more unlawful or even hostile actions that harm or destroy
environmental resources or deprive others of their use.[1] It is different to environmental vandalism, which is a rather permitted but ethically disputed destruction of environment.[2]
Definition
There are academic and semantic difficulties in defining "terrorism" and specifically "environmental terrorism", but discussions of environmental
terrorism are growing with a focus on identifying possible risks to
natural resources or environmental features. Some,[3]
including in the military
[4]
argue that attacks on natural resources can now cause more deaths, property damage, political chaos, and other adverse effects than in previous years.
Chalecki distinguishes between environmental terrorism and
eco-terrorism. She notes that environmental terrorism can be defined "as the unlawful use of force against in situ environmental resources so as to deprive populations of their benefit(s) and/or destroy other property". In contrast, eco-terrorism is the destruction of property in the interest of saving the environment from human encroachment and destruction.[5] More concisely, environmental terrorism involves targeting natural resources. Eco-terrorism involves targeting the built environment such as roads, buildings and trucks, in defense of natural resources. Other analysts may fail to distinguish between these different threats.[citation needed]
Illegal burnings of garbage in the West bank has been claimed as acts of environmental terrorism against Israelis as it is one of the main causes of carcinogenic air pollution in Israel.[8][9]
^Butts, K.H.; Turner, C. W.; Jasparr, C. (September 2003).
"Environmental Security Cooperation"(PDF). Center for Strategic Leadership, U.S. Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Archived from
the original(PDF) on 2007-06-26.
Baechler, G. 1999. “Environmental Degradation and Violent Conflict: Hypotheses, Research Agendas, and Theory-building.” In Ecology, politics, and violent conflict, edited by Mohamed Suliman, 76–112. London: Zed Books.
The Gilmore Commission. 2000. “Second Annual Report to the President and the Congress of the Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction. II. Toward a National Strategy for Combating Terrorism.” Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 15 December 2000.
Gleick, P.H. 1993. "Water and conflict." International Security Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 79–112 (Summer 1993).
Gleick, P.H. 1998. The World's Water 1998-1999: The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources. Covelo, CA: Island Press.
Lietzmann, K.M. and G.D. Vest. 1999. Environment & Security in an International Context. Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society - Final Report, March 1999. Report No. 232.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 174 pp.
Schwartz, D.M. 1998. “Environmental Terrorism: Analyzing the Concept” Journal of Peace Research. Vol. 35, No. 4, July 1998, pp. 483–496.