War Against Society and the Environment

Abstract

War, in its many manifestations, is destroying not only the populations who fall victim to it but also the natural wealth that makes up the ecosystems on which life on the planet as a whole depends. In our country, the armed conflict and violence that have affected communities and territory for decades have caused population displacement and land dispossession in favor of megaprojects driven solely by profit, and have increased devastating pressure on biota and ecosystems. This violence is the expression of a culture deeply rooted in human beings, which has manifested throughout history in numerous episodes of destruction, and which, in the Colombian case, is a continuation of the crimes against humanity and nature committed by the Spanish during the Conquest. If we want to build a culture and a society of peace, it is necessary to decode the justifications for war and expose the underlying logic of a development model that imposes plunder and exploitation upon us.