“Nature is a silent victim” of the war in Ukraine, Ukrainian Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Svetlana Grinchuk said at COP29 in Baku on Tuesday. The impact on the climate, notably the destruction of forests which naturally balance carbon emissions, shows that the consequences of war do not affect “not just Ukraine, but the whole world”she told journalists.
According to the Ukrainian government, the environmental cost of the war is $71 billion. The conflict also released some 180 million tonnes of carbon, she said. As a reminder, in 2023, the United Nations Development Program estimated the environmental damage caused by the war in Ukraine at $56 billion.
Russia accuses Ukraine of firing US missiles
56 million tonnes needed for reconstruction
According to the latest Ukrainian estimates, military activities themselves caused 51.6 million tonnes of carbon emissions, with an additional 56 million tonnes needed to rebuild infrastructure after the war. Fires are also responsible for 27.2 million tonnes of carbon equivalent. According to the minister, the Russian invasion damaged three million hectares of forests.
“All Ukrainians have become, in a very short time, very energy efficient”also underlined Svetlana Grinchuk, according to which kyiv is aware of climate issues as part of the reconstruction of the country, small-scale renewable energy projects being considered more sustainable in the face of the Russian threat. Ukraine, which aspires to join the European Union, has committed to achieving the goal of zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The remarks came as Russia hit Ukrainian energy facilities in new aerial bombardments, plunging millions of people into darkness. Russia and Ukraine have both intensified their attacks, as they anticipate a likely change of attitude on the part of the new American administration of President-elect Donald Trump who could give up, after his inauguration at the end of January 2025, to support militarily kyiv.
(With AFP)
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