] Even before it began, the 1991 war with Iraq was
] headlined as an environmental apocalypse. The allied
] forces would wreak their share of environmental damage,
] critics warned, but Saddam's actions would be
] devastating. His likely sabotage of Kuwaiti oil wells
] would produce the largest, most destructive oil spill
] ever. And according to the late US scientist Carl Sagan,
] smoke from burning wells would shroud the planet in soot,
] creating a "year without summer".
]
]
] It did not happen quite like that, of course. Many fears
] turned out to be misplaced or inaccurate. Twelve years
] on, are we in a better position to judge how badly the
] environment would suffer in a new war with Iraq?

More info on the ecological situation in Iraq

New Scientist - Future looks bleak for Iraq's fragile environment