The 2025 J.U.C. Awards | #JUCAwards2025 | Submitted Category: WRITING / Article | Submission Code: W10#JUC2025 | Dedication theme: #WaterActionDecade | Word count: 1022

Beyond the Surface: Examining Military and Corporate Accountability on Water

[#JUCAwards2025] One of the major lifelines on this earth is water, yet it is also one of the most taken-for-granted resources. The protection of water has become a popular topic today; several people are concerned already with plastic pollution, climate change, and clean drinking water. These topics merely scratch the surface. Less obvious, more profound motives for the protection of water bodies include military operations and corporate activities that implicate water bodies. Military accountability and corporate accountability are both crucial in water safety, and people’s awareness of these will no doubt prove to be the key to environmental protection.

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Accountability of Military and Corporate on Water

Water is one of the most important resources towards life, which is taken so much for granted. Today, the protection of water has gained popularity with concentrations on plastic pollution, climate change, and clean drinking water. However, these subjects are just scratching the surface. Less visible, often way deeper, other dimensions of the protection of water involve the impact of military and corporate operations on bodies of water. The factors that will make water safe concern both military accountability and corporate accountability. To understand this will open all ways to environmental and individual protection.

Military Accountability on Water

While military forces are bound to defend nations, activities in water at times harm the environment and civilians too. Military accountability pertains to how militaries respect the rule of law and are responsible when conducting operations at sea. Among these are the fundamental legal frameworks: the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which enumerates territorial waters and international regulations. These Geneva Conventions dictate guidelines during war, which would prevent unnecessary destruction of civilians and nature. Military forces should not contaminate the sea, even in war time; there are guidelines that need to be followed.

On the contrary, this ideal scene is utterly opposite to the practical world: Most of the military activities cause severe damage to the life undersea. Some of the naval vessels spit out oil or poisonous chemicals into the sea, which wipes out the life in the sea. Such utilization of sonar disrupts marine animals like whales and

dolphins, even killing them. There are several instances where wars at sea involve the destruction of non-combatant vessels, such as the sinking of Lusitania in World War I. These are some acts that show that military operations can be threat to life and the environment if not well handled.

One of the biggest counters toward accountability in militaries is secrecy. Most of the military operations remain classified for security reasons, thus making monitoring of environmental damage hardly feasible. The additional complication is that when military actions occur in international waters, it is not clear which country will be responsible if something goes wrong. Despite these difficulties, more transparency and international cooperation are called for in order to bring better accountability of militaries on water.

Water Corporate Accountability

On the other hand, it is the militaries and corporations with businesses involving water or waste products that greatly affect the water resources. Corporate accountability is defined as a company responsible to prevent environmental impairment and to not adversely affect the life of people or ecosystems. Regulations such as the Clean Water Act in the U.S. and the International Maritime Organization aim toward controlling pollution and making businesses more sustainable.

However, many companies are still involved in the worst devastation of water bodies. Oil spill incidents are one of the most renowned, wherein catastrophes such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill back in 2010 drew in the complications of how to impound the effects of corporate negligence. Similarly, plastic waste coming from product packaging and discarded fishing nets finds its way into oceans, thereby killing marine life. Other companies are indeed criticized for their operational usage of excessive amounts of water, such as the case of Coca-Cola in India, where local communities could not access clean water anymore after the company had exploited local water sources.

The fundamental problem with corporate accountability is that, in some countries where environmental laws are lenient, the regulatory environment enables business enterprises to focus more on the bottom line than on sustainability. Another issue is that water pollution can occur in other countries apart from their own, in case business firms operate across boundaries. For example, waste dumped in a river in one country could flow further downstream and into another country.

The issues can be countered by adopting sustainable business operations, for instance, the reduction of water utilization and adopting other materials that are highly biodegradable. The governments should, on their part, offer stringent fines besides compelling the firms to publish a comprehensive report on their environmental impact. With this heightened responsibility, the corporations can equally contribute towards ensuring water availability for future generations.

Comparison of Military and Corporate Accountability

While militaries and corporations alike have a responsibility to protect the water, both harbour different motivations and challenges. Military activities are usually guided by national security needs, whereas corporations are ultimately guided by profit motive. Both again have been responsible for toxic harm to water ecosystems, whether through oil spills or the many toxic contaminants released through naval operations onto the sea. Lack of transparency is an issue: militaries classify their operations, companies might seek to hide environmental violations. The transboundary nature of water pollution is another common denominator between the two, making accountability harder for one party alone.

Protecting water is about more than just preventing plastic pollution and climate change. Military and corporate accountability are equally important topics that need attention. Militaries must take responsibility for the environmental damage caused by their operations, while corporations must ensure their activities do not harm water ecosystems or restrict people’s access to clean water. Both groups must act with greater transparency and follow international regulations to protect water. In the end, every effort counts, as water is a shared resource that we all depend on for survival.

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Resources

Weir, D. (2020, June 4). How Does War Damage The Environment. https://ceobs.org /how-does-war-damage-the-environment/ Hay-Edie, D. (2002, August). The Military’s Impact On Environment.

https://www.ipb.org /wp-content/uploads/2017/03/briefing-paper.pdf Schreiner, B. (2024, March 22). Water For Piece, Or Water For War?
https://www.waterintegritynetwork.net/post/water-for-peace-or-water-for- war

Ma, J., & Sun, S. (2017, September 4). Restrictions on the use of force at sea: An environmental protection perspective. https://www.cambridge.org/core/ journals/international-review-of-the-red-cross/article/abs/restrictions-on-the-use- of-force-at-sea-an-environmental-protection-perspective/ 48D5A455FA6D4099A8192873FD765DBF

Business Human Rights.org. (2006, July 20). Indian report confirms water pollution by Coca-Cola. https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/ indian-report-confirms-water-pollution-by-coca-cola/

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Environmental impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. https://en.wikipedia.org /wiki/ Environmental_impact_of_the_Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill

The 2025 J.U.C. Awards | #JUCAwards2025 | Submitted Category: WRITING / Article | Submission Code: W10#JUC2025 | Dedication theme: #WaterActionDecade | Word count: 1022 (Resources are excluded.)

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