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The Aftermath of Bloodshed -
Webinar on Impact of War to the Environment
Jointly reported by: Moving on, our Speaker explained that throughout the preparation process for war,
Khoo Xin Yi Sr1ScA fatal consequences are inflicted upon water, land and air. Water is polluted by toxic
Goh Li Lian Sr2ScA
chemical substances and ammunition remains; Land is crippled by the setting up of
With war comes its aftermath, the environment far from spared. war camps and chemical testing areas; Air quality is damaged by chemical emissions
released into the atmosphere. One such example is the nuclear testing sites at Bikini
On the 7th of June 2022, the Kuen Cheng High School Environmental Club
organised a webinar, titled “The Impact of War to the Environment”. Our Speaker, Atoll, which involved the detonation of 23 nuclear weapons by the United States
Chang Qian Hung, from Senior Middle Three, began by stating that it would be a between 1946 to 1958. The explosion yielded 15 megatons, more than two times of
knowledge-based talk, with promises of ample captivating real-life examples to be what was expected.
shared throughout the webinar.
During the actual wartime, water-related consequences were correlated with biological
weapons producing toxic chemicals, conflicts over natural resources, and crude oil
leaks damaging underwater ecosystems. An example proving such is Unit 731, a
notorious branch of the Imperial Japanese Army that conducted lethal experiments
on Chinese civilians in the 1930s and 40s to develop biological weapons.
Similarly, the aftermath on land consists of buildings being demolished, rubble and
smoke clouds clogging up streets, potholes, as well as oil spills from military equipment
polluting the soil. During his explanation, Qian Hung mentioned the
Vietnam War, wherein American soldiers sprayed toxic Agent Orange chemicals,
crippled trees and disfigured the future Vietnamese children. In the context of air
pollution, it is caused by tanks emitting toxic gases and oil rigs catching fire, bringing
about global warming. For instance, the Gulf War, in which the Iraq forces destroyed
The Impact of War to the Environment petrol facilities during their retreat, caused severe acid rain comprising black and
Qian Hung defined war as a conflict involving countries, regimes, political entities, greasy rainwater.
and human communities. It is characterised by violence, destruction, death. In his
slides, he explained the evolution of war weaponry starting from the use of stones
and sticks, to swords and shields, to bows and arrows, and finally, guns, cannons
and atomic bombs.
Some real-life examples were brought up, like the first-ever war in human history
which took place on the Nile River Civilisation in BC 3150, and the war-torn
backdrops of World War I, World War II, and the Russia-Ukraine War. A brief
Q&A session ensued, whereby the Speaker asked the question: “What are the
consequences of war?”. The audience came up with different answers, consisting
of the inevitable economic crisis, supply chain shortages, environmental pollution,
ecosystem imbalance, widespread diseases and ultimately, loss of lives and property.
Disfigured Children as Caused by Agent Orange Chemicals
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