In 1976, the Conference on Disarmament adopted the Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques ( ENMOD), while the Diplomatic Conference on the Reaffirmation and Development of International Humanitarian Law (1974–1977) was able to reach an agreement on the introduction of certain rules on environmental protection within the newly adopted text of Additional Protocol I ( AP I) to the Geneva Conventions. Nonetheless, the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam represents one of the key moments in history that led to the drafting of these rules, 3 together with the threat posed by nuclear weapons during the Cold War. ![]() The connection between the use of CBRN weapons and the role of international humanitarian law ( IHL) in protecting the environment is not expressed in clear terms in the rules applicable to armed conflicts. 2 The environmental legacy of Agent Orange could potentially last for decades or even centuries. 1 A recent study has investigated the long-lasting effects of the dioxin used during the Vietnam War and how it is still affecting soils, water, sediment, fish, aquatic species, the food supply, and Vietnamese health. Within the latter, the US developed the well-known Agent Orange, a dioxin-contaminated herbicide capable of defoliating thick jungle vegetation. ![]() The campaign, aimed at destroying food resources and depriving the enemy of concealment, was initially started at the request of the South Vietnamese Government and then turned into a US White House programme under the name of Operation Ranch Hand. ![]() During the Vietnam War, more than 20 million gallons of herbicides were sprayed over the Vietnamese rain forests, wetlands and croplands.
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