War, Energy Systems and Ecological Degradation: Rethinking Environmental Sustainability in Contemporary Conflicts

Abstract

Contemporary warfare increasingly disrupts global energy systems, producing environmental consequences that extend far beyond active conflict zones. This article examines how strategic energy infrastructure—defined here as high-dependency energy assets such as pipelines, refineries, power stations, and fuel transport networks essential to civilian and industrial continuity—becomes both a target and instrument of modern conflict. Drawing on case studies of the Russia–Ukraine War, the Gaza conflict, and the Iraq War, the study adopts an interdisciplinary framework combining Capitalocene theory, Rob Nixon’s concept of slow violence, and environmental justice perspectives to analyse the war–energy–environment nexus. The findings demonstrate that warfare intensifies fossil fuel dependency, generates significant atmospheric emissions, contaminates soil and water systems, disrupts biodiversity, and exacerbates energy insecurity among vulnerable populations. By situating warfare within Jason W. Moore’s critique of capitalist resource extraction and “cheap nature,” the paper argues that environmental degradation in conflict is not merely collateral damage but structurally embedded within geopolitical energy economies. The analysis also examines the temporal and spatial diffusion of ecological harm, highlighting how pollution and infrastructure damage persist long after direct hostilities cease. Rather than proposing idealized transitions, the study critically evaluates the feasibility of resilient post-conflict energy reconstruction, including decentralized renewable systems where contextually viable. The article concludes by advocating stronger environmental accountability in international humanitarian governance and more conflict-sensitive sustainable energy planning.