War and the Environment in the Modern World: A Global Perspective

This is the first broad-scale survey of industrial-age warfare from a global environmental perspective. Spanning over 150 years and covering nearly every continent, this study examines the intricate connections between armed conflict and the natural world. Lisa Brady addresses not only the environmental implications of combat, but also analyses issues of mobilisation, logistics, and post-war reconstruction, using vivid examples from the US Civil War through to the global conflicts of the 20th century. Organized thematically, the book demonstrates that even with increasing levels of industrialisation and technological sophistication, war and nature are inextricably linked. Beginning with a definition of modern warfare and how it differs from pre-industrial conflict with regard to environmental factors, its chapters go on to demonstrate the ways that nature and culture interact during the various stages of conflict: preparation, fighting and recovery. Finally, Brady examines the process of 'militarisation' - the ways in which landscapes become products of war even when they have not been sites of battle. War and the Environment in the Modern World presents a balanced, wide-ranging examination of modern warfare's environmental history, making it a key resource for students of environmental history and military studies.