Genocide–ecocide nexus

The historical precedent for a link between genocide and ecocide can be seen through examinations of the Vietnam War and the US military's use of Agent Orange. Professor Galston, a biologist, made a speech comparing the wilful destruction of people and culture from the Second World War with the destruction of the environment during the Vietnam War. The methods of warfare used in the Vietnam War destroyed the flora with the loss of plant life and soil contamination, the humans in the long run, and the fauna with biodiversity loss. Environmental destruction caused by mass violence can correlate directly to the use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War., and ecocide is the willful destruction of the environment, also known as non-human actors. The genocide-ecocide nexus comes through in the connection found between humans and non-human actors, such as the environment. Early discussions of ecocide came about through a necessity of wartime disasters; the term ecocide was, in the early years of its conception, only associated with wartime situations that caused harm to the environment., with discussions taking place in 2025 for approaches to accountability regarding the environment. Various movements exist to bring awareness to ecocide, such as The Eradicating Ecocide campaign started by lawyer and environmentalist Polly Higgins. Stop Ecocide International focuses on recognizing long-term environmental harm as an international crime through expert advice on ecocide law. ==Examples==

Examples of cases where genocide and ecocide are said to be connected include the draining of the Mesopotamian Marshes in 1991, deforestation of the Amazon, genocides of Colombian indigenous peoples, genocide in Sudan, and the Gaza genocide. Indigenous peoples The genocide-ecocide nexus can be seen through Indigenous peoples who have an ongoing history with colonialism that forcibly altered their lives, leading to social and cultural deaths. Indigenous culture exists in proximity with the nonhuman world, nature is often viewed as a community member and the destruction of these nonhuman community members is seen as a type of death. ==See also==