Anthropocentric paradigm of modern warfare

OLEKSANDR STEGNII, Doctor of Sciences in Sociology, Leading Research Fellow at the Department of Methodology and Methods of Sociology, Institute of Sociology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (12, Shovkovychna St., Kyiv, 01021)

o.stegniy@gmail.com

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7829-127X

Based on the theoretical provisions of the new ecological paradigm in sociology and the methodological approaches of the warfare ecology, the ecological effects of modern warfare are analyzed. It is noted that anthropogenic pressure on the environment during hostilities is returned to society in the form of «environmental returns». It is claimed that the conduct of modern war creates a threat of exceeding the carrying capacity of the environment, transforming the latter from a neutralizer of harmful substances into their producent. It is proposed to consider the concept of «waging war» in the broad context of military activity. The peculiarity of the impact on the environment of military infrastructure objects in the pre-war period is considered in detail. The environmental consequences of various types of active hostilities, as well as the negative environmental effects of the use of modern types of heavy weapons and equipment, are separately analyzed using the example of the Russian-Ukrainian war. It is emphasized that the post-war environmental effects are directly related to the depletion of natural resources, loss of biodiversity, including cases of ecocide, as well as large-scale pollution of air, soil and water. The negative impact of the war on the ecosystems makes it impossible to restore the previous residential and ecological living conditions in the affected territories in the short term.

Keywords: new ecological paradigm, modern war, environmental carrying capacity, biophysical environment, military activity, warfare, environmental contamination, military infrastructure, environmental effects of fighting, environmental responsibility

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Received 28.02.2023