UNH Professor of History Marion (Molly) Girard Dorsey publishes in the history of medicine, war and society and the history of law. She will share research findings and concerns about nations’ use of chemical weapons

There is widespread knowledge of the harms that chemicals, whether from weapons or other sources, can cause the environment. We talk about forever chemicals in the water, pesticides absorbed by wildlife, and trash endangering the oceans. Using chemical weapons (CW) as a focus, Dorsey will discuss how military arms have caused harm during their creation, use, storage and disposal over time. This is particularly important as the legacy of 100-year-old poison gases continues to endanger the human, animal and physical environment and as the threat of CW deployment around the world arises again. Disposing of weapons is proving to be dangerous to the earth, sea, and those who live in or on them, even decades later. Why has this been allowed to happen, and how might we consider eradicating or eliminating that harm?

"If we are serious about preserving a livable planet, we must stop thinking about war in the traditional sense, as something separate from the environment. Every war is also a war on nature, on biodiversity, and on the climate."  (Nils Rokke,  Forbes, March 26, 2o25)