The Effects of Weapons on Ecosystems
Unep Studies
- 1st Edition - January 1, 1979
- Latest edition
- Author: J. P. Robinson
- Language: English
The Effects of Weapons on Ecosystems is a five-chapter book that describes the destruction of environment and its various ecosystems by humans. The book also explains the harmful… Read more
The Effects of Weapons on Ecosystems is a five-chapter book that describes the destruction of environment and its various ecosystems by humans. The book also explains the harmful effects, both intended and unanticipated, of the production, testing, stockpiling, and use of weapons of mass destruction. Organized into five chapters, the book begins with a classification of weapons of mass destruction and ecosystems. Subsequent chapter reviews the ecosystemic effects of weapons from data of ecological surveys of actual weapon test-sites and theaters of war. The book will clarify some outstanding issues on effects of weapons on ecosystems to concerned individuals, stimulate follow-up studies to advance the cause of disarmament and the protection of the environment, and lead to further action on these issues.
Introduction
Chapter 1. Background and Approach
Background
Approach
Chapter 2. Weapons
Classification of weapons
High-explosive weapons
Incendiary weapons
Chemical weapons
Biological weapons
Nuclear weapons
Chapter 3. Ecosystems
Structural and functional components
Adaptability and vulnerability
Classification of ecosystems
Arid ecosystems
Tropical ecosystems
Arctic ecosystems
Insular ecosystems
Temperate ecosystems
Chapter 4. Possible Impacts of Weapons on Ecosystems
Empirical data
Theoretical framework
Stress through soil damage
Stress through plant-cover destruction
Stress through biocide
Relationships between scales of weapons-use and magnitudes of stress and strain
Impacts on tropical ecosystems
Impacts on arid ecosystems
Impacts on arctic ecosystems
Chapter 5. Conclusions and Recommendations
Overall implications
Desertification
Magnitude of impact
Further study
Recommendations
Tables
1. Classification of weapons
2. Effects of ground-burst nuclear weapons on different components of ecosystems
3. Subsystems of the global ecosystem
4. Ecosystem-stressing potentials of different weapons
Annex
Field investigations into the ecological sequelae of military herbicide operations in Indochina: A bibliography
- Edition: 1
- Latest edition
- Published: January 1, 1979
- Language: English
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