United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Practice Relating to Rule 44. Due Regard for the Natural Environment in Military Operations
In its chapters on air operations and on maritime warfare, the UK LOAC Manual (2004) states: “Methods and means of warfare should be employed with due regard for the natural environment, taking into account the relevant rules of international law.”
In its chapter on internal armed conflict, the manual states: “Regard must be had to the natural environment in the conduct of all military operations.”
In 1991, in a report submitted to the UN Security Council on operations in the Gulf War, the United Kingdom condemned Iraq for inflicting environmental damage by causing oil spills and oil fires in Kuwait, and underlined the substantial contribution made by the UK Government to the international effort in response to this damage.
According to the Report on UK Practice, during the Rio Summit on Environment and Development in 1992, the UK Minister of State for the Armed Forces supported the principle that “States should respect international law providing protection for the environment in times of armed conflict”.
In its oral pleadings before the ICJ in the Nuclear Weapons case in 1995, the United Kingdom stated that the argument “that the general provisions in environmental treaties have the effect of outlawing the use of nuclear weapons” cannot be sustained because:
These treaties … make no reference to nuclear weapons. Their principal purpose is the protection of the environment in times of peace. Warfare in general, and nuclear warfare in particular, are not mentioned in their texts and were scarcely alluded to in the negotiations which led to their adoption.