The environmental crisis in Drylandia includes which combination of impacts?

• A. Direct impacts from fighting
• B. Indirect impacts from displacement
• C. Both direct and indirect impacts
• D. None of the above

Answer: (C)

In this situation, the environmental crisis is driven by two linked kinds of impact. Direct impacts from fighting are the immediate damage to the environment caused by violence itself—destroyed water systems, damaged infrastructure, soil and habitat disruption from blasts, and contamination from oils or chemicals. Indirect impacts come from displacement and the way people reposition themselves and use resources in response to conflict—overuse of scarce water sources, overgrazing and deforestation for fuelwood, increased waste in camps, and higher disease risk due to crowded living conditions. In dryland settings, where water and land are already limited, these effects amplify each other: infrastructure damage worsens vulnerability and drives people to move, while displacement concentrates demand on fragile resources and can accelerate degradation in host areas. So the environmental crisis encompasses both direct and indirect impacts.