Grave Concern for Environmental and Climate Damage Caused by Russian Invasion of Ukraine

May 22, 2022 | Kazuo Matsushita
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Russia's invasion of Ukraine is truly a humanitarian crisis. Mariupol, in particular, is home to two large steel mills and more than 50 industrial parks. The concentrated attack on Mariupol will pose long-term and irreversible environmental risks to air, water, and soil.

Ukraine is also home to some of the world's most precious natural treasures. Straddling the borders of Belarus, Poland, and Russia from northern Ukraine is a lowland area known as the Polesia. This huge region is also called the Amazon of Europe for its natural riches, covering more than 18 million hectares (about half the area of Germany). The precious Polesia, where conservation efforts have been steadily underway in recent years, has now become a battleground, overrun by tanks. In addition, fighting in the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, Ukraine's largest protected area and a Ramsar wetland, has resulted in fires that can be seen from space.

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has accelerated the buildup of military forces, not only in both countries but also in the West. As a result, even greater quantities of fossil fuels will be burned in the future, increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Political attention will be diverted from the urgent issue of climate change, and resources that should be devoted to climate change countermeasures will be lost, which may have a negative impact on future climate policies. This could create a crisis of international environmental governance.