Conflict-driven Deforestation and Pollution in Syria.
For nine years the war in Syria has brought mayhem and misery to its population. Millions are displaced, hundreds of thousands killed, many more wounded and the country is in ruins. Fighting in urban, industrial, and agricultural areas has left a trail of environmental destruction that will remain for decades. PAX published ‘ Amidst the Debris ’, a study on environmental dimensions of the armed conflict in Syria in 2015, followed by ’ Scorched Earth and Charred Lives ’, a satellite analysis on the rise of artisanal oil refining in Deir ez Zor, in 2016. Investigation and monitoring the impacts of conflict events on the environment and subsequently, civilians, is crucial for addressing health and livelihood concerns in humanitarian response and post-conflict reconstruction work . Security concerns often hinder access to conflict areas limiting data collection on environmental damage , including biodiversity and natural resources. Therefore, geographical information systems (GIS) and...