Dear friends!
We are continuing our work on analyzing the environmental consequences of the war in Ukraine. Apart from working on articles, we also take active part in conferences, work groups, and webinars devoted to this topic. In late August, our experts Eugene Simonov and Oleksiy Vasyliuk gave a presentation at the 14th European Conference on Ecological Restoration in Tartu, Estonia. Meanwhile, UWEC editor Alexei Ovchinnikov joined representatives from the Ukrainian initiative Razom We Stand at the 14th iteration of the Tbilisi International Conference, devoted to European security and organized by the Green European Foundation, to talk about the environmental consequences of the war in Ukraine.
Eugene Simonov also attended the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee (UNESCO), which this year took place in India. Against the backdrop of global political polarization caused by the Russian invasion, it is becoming harder to protect the Earth’s cultural and natural heritage, with attempts to find solutions to issues frequently getting bogged down in political debates. Are such huge international institutions as UNESCO capable of continuing to protect our common heritage and to what extent are they adapting to the conditions of global polarization? Read more in this article:
Mechanisms for nature conservation were also discussed at a conference in Ukraine in early July. The main topics were the collection of data in order to open an international court case on ecocide and the consequences of the emptying of the Kakhovka Reservoir following the destruction of the dam by Russian forces. As experts note, natural restoration of nature in Ukraine may make it possible to achieve climate neutrality goals and make a significant contribution to the formation of a “green future” that is not only Ukrainian, but also European as a whole. Read about how data on the environmental consequences of the war in Ukraine is collected, how international organizations participate in analysis, and what results they have received to date in our traditional review:
International organizations are continuing to provide significant assistance and support in collecting data on the environmental consequences of the war. The Czech organization Arnika is currently carrying out research in Ukraine with the aim of obtaining data on the damage done by the flooding that followed the destruction of the Kakhovka dam. Unfortunately, it is difficult to obtain samples for laboratory analysis in Ukraine at the moment, since the war goes on and many of the most polluted areas are located along the frontline. The lower reaches of the Dnipro River, which were hit particularly hard by the floodwaters from the Kakhovka Reservoir, are no exception. Our article looks at the data collection methods used by Arnika representatives in collaboration with Ukrainian scientists and what conclusions they came to as a result of the analysis.
The issue of ensuring a green recovery for Ukraine is a priority for UWEC. While we are confident that the war will eventually end, it is vital that the country’s recovery be sustainable and ecological. Otherwise the consequences for nature will be even more catastrophic. Forests are one of the ecosystems that have suffered most from the war, since they are used for engineering and camouflage purposes by both sides, and military operations often lead to fires. You can read about the impact the war has had on forest ecosystems and what measures are required for their active post-war recovery in our article by Viktoria Hubareva and Stanislav Viter.
Our work group is one of few, if not the only one, which also tries to carry out analysis of the environmental consequences of the war in the occupied territories. We have already written about the consequences of the construction of the Crimean Bridge for the local environment and about the negative impact of the militarization of the peninsula. In a new article we look at how the occupation has affected Crimea’s nature conservation areas. The conclusions our authors reach after analyzing satellite images are not exactly comforting. The unique Yalta Reserve has diminished in size since the occupation began, and new buildings and infrastructure have appeared within its boundaries. We also have information indicating that if occupation of Crimea continues, there are plans to remove conservation status from even larger protected areas. Read more in our article by Viktoria Hubareva and Oleksiy Vasyliuk:
You can find more analysis and news about the environmental consequences of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on our website, on Twitter (X), Facebook and Telegram.
We wish you strength and peace!
Alexei Ovchinnikov, editor-in-chief of UWEC Work Group