Sarah Ashbridge is an Associate of the Climate Change and (in)security project at the University of Oxford
December 02, 2022
In the aftermath of any war, an invaded or besieged nation is forced to begin the arduous task of reimagining and rebuilding the wreckage they are left with. This process will undoubtedly create philosophical questions that beg an answer before any foundations can be laid for regrowth, as a nation asks whether to recreate that which existed before, or to reimagine the spaces left by bombardment. How will Syria rebuild, or Yemen, Afghanistan and Ukraine? Will the process itself be philosophical, or will the immediate physical requirements take priority, leaving reminders of conflict across the landscape?
Discussions are already being had on how Ukraine will navigate this process when the ongoing Russian invasion finally reaches its conclusion. The resurrection of Ukraine is often discussed within the wider climate change debate, with reports usually focused around three themes: long-term environmental damage caused by war, the cost and workforce required to rebuild after war, and the ways that rebuilding can curate a lasting public memory of a war.
Any attempt to rebuild must be handled with delicacy, and tested against public opinion; does the rebuilding effort pay tribute to the previous landscape and make acknowledgement of recent conflict, or should it be designed in a way that prioritises the imminent needs of the populace, at the expense of local identity and historic landmarks? Is restoration of the lived environment to its pre-war state truly possible, either physically or psychologically, while the memory of war remains raw for the public?
The most likely factor to inhibit the rebuilding process is financial, with the expense of war draining national coffers and leaving black holes in local budgets. This will impact a nation’s ability to be resilient to the long-term effects of the environmental damage that will have been impacted due to the nature of urban warfare. While constant bombardment from shelling and artillery can transform the immediate appearance of a landscape, the environmental impact can be felt much more broadly.
Discussions are already being had over how Ukraine will be able to afford to rebuild. AP
The resurrection of Ukraine is often discussed within the wider climate change debate
The presence of tanks, weapons and unusual concentrations of human activity (for instance, groups of soldiers) causes the pollution of air, earth and water. From exhaust emissions into the environment, to the seeping of chemicals from missiles into the ground and water, or simple human waste, these chemical changes inflicted upon nature can have devastating consequences, not only for humans but for ecological life at all levels. This can leave humans and animals without access to clean water, particularly where water infrastructure has been destroyed. Reduced soil quality can limit or eliminate the ability to grow food, while also causing potentially irreversible loss of biodiversity and wildlife, particularly in cases of chemical warfare where defoliants have been used. These chemicals strip the earth, as was seen with dioxin during the Malayan Emergency in the 1950s and Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.
Where there is no clear breach of the international laws of armed conflict, the contaminated nation typically bears the financial burden of decontaminating their land to make it safe enough to live in. But not all nations have the financial ability or desire to prioritise this type of specialist work. In parts of Afghanistan formally occupied by US forces, burning pits used to destroy waste have caused dangerous levels of air pollution for the local population, causing respiratory problems amongst other health conditions. The government has not yet cleared the remaining detritus of many of these pits, despite the known impact on public health and air quality.
Aside from the environmental impact of conflict, the physical destruction or mining of towns, cities and landscapes, particularly ancient heritage sites, can be truly devastating to a nation’s sense of historical identity, as we saw in Syria in 2017 when ISIS militants destroyed the ancient Roman trading city of Palmyra as a supposed attempt to recapitulate the early history of Islam in the area. The opposite can also be true; war can remove layers of history and memory from a place, but it can also add them.
In countries that bore witness to the battles of the Second World War, such as France, Poland and Japan, it isn’t difficult to find buildings peppered by bullet marks. In some places, historic buildings such as cloth halls or religious buildings have been reconstructed to look identical to their pre-war appearance – the Ypres Cloth Hall in Belgium is one such example. Though locals and tourists are often aware that these buildings no longer exist in their original form, they remain a vital part of the history, tourism and local pride in the area.
Another example of the impact the living memory of war was after the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), where attempts by Lebanon to rebuild Beirut were heavily criticised. Though the dramatic architectural transformation attracted foreign investment, which assisted with wider economic recovery, the public mourned the loss of layers of history from the ancient to the present, creating what the Lebanese-Palestinian journalist Samir Kassir once referred to as a “city without memory”.
The scars of war can help communities to engage with a rebuilt community. Communities will always find ways to commemorate those they have lost. From dedicated buildings to beautiful cemeteries, to statues and community memorial signs, humans continue to find ways to collectively remember the individual losses of lives given to protect their way of living. But while the history of a built environment can help to reinforce a strong sense of heritage within an area, it can also be used to manipulate public understanding of a war, and so the construction and physical manifestation of collective narrative remains a vital part of any reconstruction process. The destruction of environment will increasingly feature in future narratives of war.
With discussions of war being more prevalent in the public eye now, more than ever, our understanding of the impact of war is constantly evolving and improving. When the Russian invasion of Ukraine finally reaches a conclusion, we may see a stronger international public call for financial compensation for damage to the environment during war for the first time in history. Which legacies of war are we willing to accept?
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors.
The flights
The closest international airport to the TMB trail is Geneva (just over an hour’s drive from the French ski town of Chamonix where most people start and end the walk). Direct flights from the UAE to Geneva are available with Etihad and Emirates from about Dh2,790 including taxes.
The trek
The Tour du Mont Blanc takes about 10 to 14 days to complete if walked in its entirety, but by using the services of a tour operator such as Raw Travel, a shorter “highlights” version allows you to complete the best of the route in a week, from Dh6,750 per person. The trails are blocked by snow from about late October to early May. Most people walk in July and August, but be warned that trails are often uncomfortably busy at this time and it can be very hot. The prime months are June and September.
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah 5.10pm: Continous 5.45pm: Raging Torrent 6.20pm: West Acre 7pm: Flood Zone 7.40pm: Straight No Chaser 8.15pm: Romantic Warrior 8.50pm: Calandogan 9.30pm: Forever Young
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Ireland (15-1): Rob Kearney; Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Bundee Aki, Jacob Stockdale; Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray; Jack Conan, Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony; James Ryan, Quinn Roux; Tadhg Furlong, Rory Best (capt), Cian Healy
Replacements: Sean Cronin, Dave Kilcoyne, Andrew Porter, Ultan Dillane, Josh van der Flier, John Cooney, Joey Carbery, Jordan Larmour
Coach: Joe Schmidt (NZL)
Red flags
Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
