Fibre-optic drone waste impacts

This week, we explored one of war’s less visible consequences: its devastating impact on the environment. How large is the ecological footprint of conflict? What do we know about the long-term harm caused by bombing, heavy machinery, and the waste left behind—and how these pollutants affect both human health and fragile habitats? In this episode, Eoghan Darbyshire of the Conflict and Environment Observatory reveals how his team tracks the immediate and lasting environmental fallout of warfare around the world. He also underscores why open-source research skills are indispensable for uncovering damage that often remains hidden in plain sight.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday November 20th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

CEOBS: https://ceobs.org/

Ukrainian forest tracker: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/08/18/a-new-tool-shows-what-war-has-done-to-ukraines-forests/

Guide on visualising conflict and displacement data: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/how-tos/2025/07/04/the-story-of-a-storm-part-ii-visualising-conflict-and-displacement-data/

CEOBS blog on the fibre optic damage in Ukraine: https://ceobs.org/plastic-pollution-from-fibre-optic-drones-may-threaten-wildlife-for-years/

Sudanese Civil War Discord channel: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1099724243706589245

Environment and Wildlife Discord channel: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/807311724893175878

Ship detection tool: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/05/11/peering-beyond-the-clouds-a-guide-to-bellingcats-ship-detection-tool/

Sketchy Boats Stage Talk: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2235217/