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Panelists on Missoula program say Gulf War damaged Persian Gulf ecosystems and could cause long-term health, climate harms
Summary
On the Missoula Peace Network, University of Montana faculty and local activists described widespread ecological damage in the Persian Gulf from wartime bombing, oil spills and fires, and warned of potential long-term contamination of water, soil and air with consequences for local populations and distant regions.
On the Missoula Peace Network radio program, environmental experts and activists warned that the Gulf War caused extensive damage to Persian Gulf ecosystems and could produce long-lasting human-health and climate effects.
Vicki Watson, a faculty member in the Environmental Studies program and the Botany Department at the University of Montana, said "no one ever wins a war because the Earth and all of its inhabitants really lose every war that's ever fought," and described how bombing, oil spills and fires have harmed marshes, mangroves, seagrass beds, coral reefs and sandy turtle-nesting beaches in the Tigris–Euphrates delta and along the Persian Gulf coast.
The panelists said those habitats are vital for fisheries and local food supplies. Watson noted the area "is one of the most productive environments on Earth," including nurseries for fish and shellfish, overwintering areas for waterfowl, and nesting beaches for endangered green…
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