ecological warfare
- noun
- /ˌiːkəˈlɒdʒɪkəl ˈwɔːrfɛr/
- Offensive
:
guerra ecológica
- The activists resorted to ecological warfare by sabotaging construction equipment.
Examples
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Some governments have condemned ecological warfare as a form of extremism.
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The activists condemned the use of ecological warfare against wildlife.
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Debates continue over whether ecological warfare helps or harms the environmental movement.
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Is ecological warfare becoming a common tactic in conflicts?
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Some governments have condemned ecological warfare as a dangerous tactic that harms nature.
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The activists resorted to ecological warfare in their efforts to protect endangered species.
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Debates continue over whether ecological warfare is effective in achieving sustainable environmental goals.
Synonyms
1
9.1
An act using violence or threats to protect nature
Using or threatening violence to make others change how they treat nature
Violent attacks to help environmental activists reach political goals
How Violent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'ecological' (relating to ecosystems) combined with 'warfare' (methods of war) yields the idea of conflict or hostile actions aimed at ecological targets or for ecological goals. This follows the same productive pattern as compounds like 'chemical warfare' or 'psychological warfare' and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Ecological warfare joins ecological (about nature) and warfare (fighting). Imagine people damaging machines, fences, or land to stop a project and protect nature, so the phrase means 'deliberate acts of violence or sabotage to achieve environmental aims'.