For the first time, the diverse interactions between armed conflicts and human as well as natural environments are analyzed from a historical and social science perspective. While most previous research has primarily addressed this topic in relation to environmental destruction caused by warfare or by military buildup during peacetime, this publication takes a step further. The historical transformation of this complex relationship is illustrated through concrete examples: from World War II in Europe and Asia to the classic proxy war in Vietnam and the current asymmetric wars in South Asia. Systematic questions are at the forefront: How do environments influence armed conflicts? How do wars change environments? And how do complete "war landscapes" emerge?.