Ukraine: War on the environment
The conflict has environmental ramifications even beyond Ukraine's borders
While our attention is directed to the human suffering in Ukraine, the war also has environmental consequences. When the war stepped in February, I expressed my concern for Ukraine’s wetlands and forests, and others wrote about the already endangered species within Ukraine’s borders.
We are learning more about the toll the war is taking on the environment, both within and outside Ukraine’s borders. In a very clear example of the war damaging the environment, in February, in the beginning of this phase of the war, the Russians directed their first airstrike against fuel storage tankers at the Chuhuiv air base in the eastern part of Ukraine. In the following two weeks, Russia bombed fuel tankers and other energy infrastructure. These attacks resulted in huge fires releasing great amounts of pollution and CO2.
Europe and the United States may produce more greenhouse gases
Soon after Russia stepped up its war against Ukraine with the larger invasion in February of this year, the United States imposed sanctions on Russia, including the cessation of fossil fuel imports. In a case of slapping yourself when you try to hit someone else, the absence of Russian oil on the U.S. market caused a rise in fossil fuel prices. Those higher prices at the gas pump are a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Fuel prices are also higher in Europe, leading some countries to ask for a relaxation in the EU’s plan to phase out the use of coal, which is a fossil fuel that they can acquire more cheaply. If this were to happen, the global equity index firm MSCI warns that greenhouse gas emissions could skyrocket. Up to 800 million additional tons of CO2 could be released in just one year if Europe makes the transition to coal.
The increase in CO2 output would occur because natural gas and oil are made of hydrocarbon molecules, while coal is almost entirely composed of carbon. Burning oil and gas produces CO2 and water; burning coal just released CO2, lots more CO2 than oil or gas.
Similarly, in the U.S., these price increases fuel oppposition to green infrastructure legislation, legislation that would bring down emissions by investing in solar and wind generation, energy efficient buildings, and electric cars. Higher gas prices also have Joe Biden encouraging energy companies to drill for more gas and oil. And some claim—with plenty of examples to back up what they say—that the war distracts from working on climate change. Trevor Houser is a climate analyst at Rhodium Group, a U.S.-based organization that performs research on energy, climate, and global trends. He has said, “Policymakers in any country have limited attention, and the war in Ukraine is a giant crisis that requires a lot of focus and attention. One of the big challenges of climate is that [climate change] is always seen by policymakers as tomorrow's issue. It's always the issue you can come back to later."
I haven’t seen any follow-up to this since it was published a month ago, but forest fires around Chernobyl may have spread radiation. The site of the 1986 nuclear disaster remains one of the most radioactive sites in the world. At least seven forest fires were observed by satellite last month in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, an area of about 1,000 square miles around the plant. Ukraine said that it could not extinguish the fires because of Russian military presence in the area. According to scientists knowledgeable about the site, these seasonal fires that come during spring and summer can lift up and spread radioactive materials that have accumulated in the upper layers of soil.
Loss of life at a zoo
Last month, in the an eastern city close to the Russian border, zoo keepers made the decision to euthanize many of the animals at the city’s zoo. Though the animals survived bombing assaults by the Russians, the enclosures at the Feldman Ecopark had been damaged and rendered unsafe in the attacks. Zoo officials said that transporting the animals to safety was impossible, as the animals can be dangerous and have complex needs.
While evacuating some of the animals from the Ecopark, a 15 year old boy was killed, when the team he was working with came under fire. Two other persons of the team were badly hurt in the attack.
The Ecopark is in Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine and the administrative center for the Kharkiv region. Only 40 miles from the Russian border, Kharkiv has seen a lot of fighting. The city was taken by the Russians, but recent reports are that Ukraine has retaken the city.
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