Minimizing the negative economic consequences of countries undergone war conflict by utilizing circular economy principles

In an increasingly unstable world that has seen a sharp increase in the number of armed conflicts affecting various countries, such as Ukraine, Syria, Israel, etc, it is important to have our attention also focused in the day after the war will end. As the battlefields are becoming more and more urban, we observe large buildings being severely damaged, or even whole cities being completely wiped out.

This means that in the “day after” the war will end, a huge effort for restructuring these countries will commence. Usually, the economies of countries that have undergone armed conflicts have seen their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) drop significantly, more than 25% and sometimes more than 50%, depending on the severity of the conflict. This economic tragedy that comes with the humanitarian tragedy of a war conflict has the dynamics of existing for many more years after the war is over.

Thus, systematic efforts must be made in order to minimize the negative economic aftershock a war conflict imposes on the economies of countries. In this direction we propose by utilizing circular economy methods that the debris from the same homes or infrastructure damaged during the war be used again, after appropriate treatment. This will reduce the negative impact on the trade balance for these countries but also create an internal demand for industries that will undertake this effort.