The endless war: the long-term impact on health and environment of armed conflicts

Armed conflicts leave behind more than destroyed buildings and lost lives. This episode explores the hidden, long-lasting environmental damage from warfare, from unexploded World War One shells still contaminating French soil over a century later to toxic chemical residues in Vietnam and ongoing ecological crises in Ukraine. You'll learn how modern weapons create persistent soil and water contamination, why landmines continue killing civilians decades after peace treaties, and how a single bombing raid can poison ecosystems for generations. We discuss specific cases including the French Red Zone, Agent Orange's dioxin legacy, depleted uranium weapons in the Balkans, and the asbestos and industrial contamination currently spreading across Eastern Europe. The episode reveals why environmental damage from war isn't just collateral damage, but a crisis that affects human health, biodiversity, and entire ecosystems long after the fighting stops.