India, July 15 -- WAR lives on in its victims. As the Russia-Ukraine war widens, the US-Israel war on Iran continues-punctuated by fragile ceasefires-and Israel's devastating attacks on Gaza and Lebanon carry on, global discussions are increasingly pushing for a binding commitment on a victim bearing the brunt of it all: the environment.

The environment is literally under fire. On June 19, Iran's Department of Environment reported that large-scale bombing of oil storage facilities, petrochemical plants and other landscapes have led to air, soil and water pollution, degradation of ecosystems and decline in biodiversity. It sought help from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to document the damage and explore legal action against the "per...