The Green Thumb of Transitional Justice: The Consideration of the Environmental Dimension of Armed Conflict in Truth Commissions

ABSTRACT∞ This article examines how, why and to what effect truth commissions have considered the environmental dimension of armed conflict, including environmental damage, conflict-related natural resource exploitation and the role of the environment in conflict causes and dynamics. After a survey of 50 truth commissions, it closely examines the four truth commissions (those of Liberia, Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste and Colombia) that have addressed the environment–conflict nexus in detail. Its final part compares their approaches and draws lessons that can inform the work of future truth commissions.