Environmental Impact of the Russia-Ukraine War

The war, which has lasted for almost a year now, has had a devastating impact on the lives of the residents as well as on the global economy. Additionally, it has significantly damaged the environment and derailed global progress in terms of climate change, especially for developing nations.

Russia is one of the biggest exporters of oil and gas, however, because of political tensions between Russia and Europe, Russia stopped exports to Europe. As a result, Europe’s supply diminished, and they turned to coal. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, natural gas emits almost 50% less CO2 than coal. The high oil prices created an energy crisis for the world, and while this provided a push for developed countries to deploy renewable energies, the developing countries are left behind for a lack of funds.

The shelling and bombing by Russia have led to catastrophic damage across Ukraine, burning acres of forest land and endangering flora and fauna with it. Black Sea Biosphere Reserve witnessed a massive fire due to shelling and resulted in the destruction of trees and habitats, and the Oskil reservoir’s floodgates were bombed leading to massive floods followed by dried-up wells. The fish and birds living in the habitat have been driven away or killed, destroying Ukraine’s biodiversity for years to come. Beaches have been covered with land mines and surrounded by attack boats and numerous species are in danger of extinction.

Additionally, the toxic chemicals being released into the environment are causing severe air, water, and land pollution. The soil composition has the potential to be highly disturbed as the soil suffers from physical, chemical, and biological disturbances. The physical disturbances are the direct effect of warfare such as the building of trenches and catering due to bombing etc., and the chemical disturbances are perhaps the indirect impact such as the leaking of toxins, oil, heavy metals, etc into the soil. The result of these is the biological disturbance, rendering soil unfit for the growth of vegetation and even unsafe for animals. While soil can be reclaimed, it is expensive, and in wartime, there are far more pressing concerns driving the focus away from environmental degradation and climate change. Ukraine has 15 nuclear facilities and any attack on them can cause radioactive substances to penetrate the soil and ultimately be released into the atmosphere for years to come.

The cost of rehabilitation for Ukraine will be significant, and it is likely to be borne by several other nations along with Ukraine. It is clear that we have been set back on our path to mitigating climate change both financially and in achieving our targets such as the Paris Agreement. However, the magnitude of the impact to its full extent can only be known after the war comes to an end.