War in Ukraine and Crisis Caused

“If we do not end the war, war will end us.” – H.G. Wells, English Novelist, and Journalist

The war changes the state of all areas of public life – social, political, economic and environmental. The war between Russia and Ukraine has been more devastating to the world of the 21st Century than could have been imagined.

The Donbass region in Ukraine is one of the most distinguished for its climate features and biodiversity. For years, however, Donbass was considered the most polluted region in Ukraine due to coal mining caused by toxic waste and chemicals and metal industries due to soil pollution. For years, the Donbass region has been a hotspot of Ukrainian industrial activity. Consequently, almost half of Ukraine’s greenhouse gas emissions come from this region. According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), years of armed conflict with Russia have led to a significant “environmental disaster” that has contaminated up to 530,000 hectares of protected areas.

Now, imagine the thousands of bombs that are destroying Ukraine’s environment on a daily basis as a result of Russia’s 2022 military aggression. The destruction of cities and the bombing of industrial facilities across the country have a very large-scale impact on air quality, which will create a plethora of problems for human health and the environment in the future. Why is the Russia-Ukraine war so devastating? Firstly, restoring the environment is associated with substantial financial resources and also, technically it is very difficult to accomplish. Experience shows that as a result of hostilities, damage to the environment is never fully restored. It is very difficult to find the resources to rejuvenate the environment as it is quite an expensive activity, technically difficult to implement, and requires a lot of effort. The scale of the ongoing destruction in Ukraine will lead to serious pollution of the environment, which in the long run will lead to significant pollution of air, soil and water, destruction of hectares of forests, biodiversity loss, and more.

The negative impact of wars and military conflicts on the environment begins before hostilities begin. That is why the negative impact of war on the environment is far greater and more dangerous than we can imagine. The training of the armed forces alone has a significant negative impact on the environment. Military vehicles, planes, ships and all the infrastructure needed to prepare for a military conflict require energy, which is why CO2 emissions from military activities are so high. Any kind of military training or exercise causes emissions, disrupts landscapes, terrestrial or marine habitats, and causes chemical pollution using various weapons, aircraft, or vehicles. Constant upgrading of military equipment and materials has a separate negative impact on the environment. High-intensity conflict requires the use of large amounts of fuel, leading to massive greenhouse gas emissions and directly contributing to climate change. The deployment of various military equipment and the intensive use of explosive ammunition can cause serious damage to natural landscapes and biodiversity. Many weapons are made of toxic components, such as depleted uranium which is radioactive. The damage done by military activities to the environment is very long-lasting, directly hindering the country’s progress in terms of pollution control, resources and protected area management, biodiversity conservation, or climate change adaptation. The environmental crisis resulting from the war is very tangible and getting out of this situation requires great resources and is often actually impossible.

Scientists have studied the long-term negative impact of radiation since the 1986 Chornobyl disaster. The issue of Chornobyl remained popular when the Russian military seized the Chornobyl nuclear power plant during ongoing military operations. On March 3, 2022, Russian troops also attacked the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. According to the Ukrainian Nuclear Regulatory Authority, it was initially unclear what impact this attack would have on the power plant security systems. Fortunately, no changes in the radiation situation were observed in the Zaporizhzhia region and the radiation level is within the standard range. Zaporizhzhia is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe with six reactors. The crisis in Ukraine is being prolonged and the future of nuclear power plants in the region is extremely uncertain. One thing that is obvious is that Russia’s illegal and dangerous military action raises new questions about Ukraine’s nuclear facilities and poses a threat to global nuclear security.

“The environment is a silent victim of conflict,” said Doug Weir, Director of Research and Policy for the British non-profit organization, the Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS). The negative impact of war on the environment is often discussed only by environmentalists, although this is not just a problem for environmentalists, as it is one of the most important challenges in the world today. This topic is also the main message at many international environmental conferences.

At the end of February 2022, UN Environment Ministers and other representatives from more than 170 countries gathered in Nairobi for the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA 5.2). Up to 108 global NGOs have addressed the United Nations, highlighting the serious risks and impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war on the environment, which are damaging Ukraine’s biodiversity, ecosystem, and natural resources. The NGOs called for a UN Rapid Response in the following areas: 1. Provide funding and technical expertise for the UN Environment Program’s initial rapid environmental assessment in Ukraine; 2. Support local and international initiatives to identify and monitor environmental risks and damage related to conflicts; and 3. Promote environmental assistance to Ukraine to facilitate efforts to clean up and restore the environment following the war.

The Conflict and Environment Observatory refers to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine as “ecocide”, which shows the catastrophic damage of this conflict to the environment of Ukraine. The mission of the Conflict and Environment Observatory is to raise public awareness of the negative environmental and humanitarian impact of conflicts and military activities. The use of the term “ecocide” in this context also reflects the legal context of Ukraine. Ukraine is one of the few countries that considers “ecocide” a crime under the country’s legislation. According to Article 441 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, “ecocide” is defined as “mass destruction of flora and fauna, poisoning of air and water resources and any other action that could lead to an ecological catastrophe.” Of course, Russia’s aggressive military actions directly can be considered a criminal offense under Ukrainian criminal law.

And finally, the war in Ukraine is not just an environmental crisis in Ukraine, this war is detrimental to the whole world and endangers the well-being of each of us. This is confirmed by the opinion of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, according to whom the war in Ukraine poses a direct threat to the goals of global warming. Even the fact that countries are seeking alternatives to Russian energy as a result of sanctions poses a threat to the high risk of using fossil fuels, which directly hinders the achievement of global climate change goals.