Author: Editor

After hostilities end, Ukraine will prioritize demining, not fiber-optic cleanup. So far, ordnance units report no confirmed interference from fiber-optic cables, leaving the demining impact unresolved. Scientific research on fiber-optic pollution is still at an early stage. Experts agree that long-term monitoring is essential to assess real environmental consequences. The main concern is microplastic formation…

Read More “Fiber-optic drone waste in Ukraine: environmental impact and post-war risks” »

First-person-view (FPV) drones leave long fiber-optic threads across frontline fields, forming visible webs on soil and vegetation. Research on their environmental impact is just beginning, and long-term effects on soil, plants and wildlife remain unclear. Fiber-optic cables are made mainly from PMMA plastic, which degrades into micro- and nanoplastics over time. Studies suggest these particles…

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Fiber-optic drones have recently appeared on the frontlines of Russia’s war against Ukraine. These UAVs deploy thin optical cables that remain in forests, fields, and soil, forming large debris networks with unknown ecological impacts. The war is often described as a “drone war,” with both sides using UAVs to strike targets remotely and reduce human…

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Ukraine can make nature a key pillar of national security through coordinated action by the state and society. Environmental risks must be integrated into national security strategies and treated on par with military threats. Creating multi-lateral expert teams within the National Security and Defense Councils would allow for rapid responses to environmental pollution and ecological…

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Israel demonstrates how environmental security can be integrated into national defense and diplomacy. Climate risks are treated as threat multipliers affecting water, food, migration and regional stability. Israel’s National Adaptation Plan incorporates climate risks into defense assessments and allocates significant funding for monitoring and the development of resilient infrastructure. Advanced environmental monitoring relies on satellite…

Read More “Environmental security in the Middle East: lessons from Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon” »

While the country’s eastern regions now under Russian occupation are primarily industrial areas, the southern expanse of Crimea and Kherson has historically been central to agriculture, botany and biodiversity. Although Ukraine covers less than 6% of Europe’s landmass, it is home to about 35% of the continent’s biodiversity. Many of the country’s rare and endemic…

Read More “Occupied agricultural lands and biodiversity at risk in Ukraine” »

Environmental security links clean air, safe water, fertile soils, and public health to the survival of society. Ukrainian legislation defines it as the prevention of environmental degradation and threats to human health through the actions of the state, businesses, and citizens. Russia’s full-scale invasion has raised the issue of Ukraine’s environmental security to a new…

Read More “Environmental security in Ukraine: war, ecocide, and recovery” »

Wetlands provide a variety of services: support biodiversity, regulate waterflow, and help to mitigate climatic impacts. They store carbon, recharge groundwater and reduce flood risks. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and EU environmental frameworks recognize their critical ecosystem services. The war has reshaped defense thinking in Europe. Latvia now restores peatlands as natural military barriers….

Read More “Wetlands as natural defense: how the Irpin wetlands stopped Russian tanks” »