Environment News Service: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on all nations of the world to prevent the exploitation of the environment in times of conflict. “The natural environment enjoys protection under Protocol 1 of the Geneva Conventions,” Ban said. “But this protection is often violated during war and armed conflict. Water wells are polluted, crops torched, forests cut down, soils poisoned, and animals killed, all in order to gain military advantage.” The …