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There are a record raging around the world—from Ukraine and Gaza to Sudan and Myanmar. Alongside their devastating human toll, these conflicts are all on the environment.

One of the key ways war leads to environmental harm is by leaving behind unexploded weaponry. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has become the most in the world. By January 2024, roughly of agricultural land there was estimated to have been contaminated with landmines and other so-called explosive remnants of war.

The contamination of Ukrainian farmland—alongside the physical damage from exploded mines—has contributed to a sharp decrease in agricultural activity, with wheat production in Ukraine between 2021 and the end of 2024. Ukraine has historically been one of the world's .

The damage wars are causing to land is also occurring at a time when climate change is driving land degradation. Rising temperatures, increased aridity and the intensification of extreme weather events are leading to reduced soil fertility and desertification. This often compounds the impact of unexploded mines and bombs on the land.

The human toll from explosive remnants of war is quite visible, as the number of deaths resulting from unexploded mines and bombs can be traced. In April 2024, for example, the that landmines and other unexploded ordnance had accounted for more than 1,000 civilian casualties since the start of Russia's invasion.

But the impact of explosive remnants on the land is less immediately apparent. , which was bombed extensively by the US military during the Vietnam war (1955–1975), suggests that unexploded ordnance continues to harm agricultural productivity there today.

Many of the bombs that landed on soft and highly fertile land failed to detonate. They continue to render the land hazardous. Due to the danger of unexploded bombs, many Cambodian farmers avoid using tractors and other agricultural techniques that could increase agricultural production.

Studies also show that explosive remnants of war . Unexploded bombs and landmines can leak heavy metals and toxic waste into the soil, polluting land and water. In rare cases, contaminants from a landmine have been detected up to 6km away from the initial explosion site.

The methods for clearing unexploded ordnance can contribute to land degradation, too. Heavy demining equipment can damage fertile topsoil and contribute to erosion. Some , such as controlled detonations, can also release contaminants into the soil.

Research on soil quality in the in north-eastern Iraq, a region that has seen decades of armed conflict, show evidence of the release of hazardous metals such as lead, cadmium and arsenic into the soil following demining activities.

These contaminants pose significant risks both to local ecosystems and human health through direct contact and the contamination of water sources and food chains. There are also risks of contamination through inhaling or ingesting dust.

Climate change complications

Climate hazards such as droughts, floods and wildfires can of explosive remnants of war. Floods and heavy rainfall can unearth landmines and other unexploded ordnance, sometimes displacing them into areas previously considered safe.

High temperatures from heat waves can also cause abandoned munitions to explode. Six different munition sites during scorching hot summers in 2018 and 2019, when temperatures regularly topped 45°C. Heat waves a similar arms dump explosion in Jordan in 2020.

At the same time, the presence of explosive remnants in the environment can hamper responses to climate events. In , for example, the heavy contamination of forests with landmines and tripwires prevented fire crews from responding effectively to wildfires in 2020. The fires damaged houses and .

Similarly, unexploded bombs from the second World War recently by wildfires in the North York Moors, UK. This increases the unpredictability of the fires, inevitably endangering the lives of fire crews.

In Libya, destroyed two dams in 2023 and subsequently caused flooding in large parts of the eastern city of Derna. The displacement of unexploded ordnance and ammunition stores caused by the flooding complicated recovery efforts.

Explosives experts also had to be deployed during the destructive floods in in 2024 to assess whether land was safe for the relocation of displaced people.

Climate disasters and environmental change can also prevent communities from benefiting from land that has been cleared of explosive remnants after the end of war.

In , where there was a civil war between 1975 and 2002, drought has prevented farmers from planting crops in recently cleared fields. Increasing soil salinization in Sri Lanka due to rising sea-levels has also of farmers to plant rice in areas cleared of unexploded munitions.

Explosive remnants of war have a lasting impact, not only on human life but also on the environment. Climate change is only making the threat more unpredictable and challenging to address.

It's more important than ever that measures to restore land, tackle climate change and manage the impact of armed conflict—including explosive remnants of war—are addressed together rather than in isolation.