The war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine has caused not only human casualties and destruction of infrastructure, but also a significant ecological blow, which is already having global consequences. As noted by Candidate of Geographical Sciences Vira Balabukh, Head of the Department of Applied Meteorology and Climatology of the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute, the hostilities significantly affect climate change - not only in Ukraine, but also throughout the planet.
According to the Ministry of Environment, from February 2022 to February 2024, the war emitted up to 180 million tons of greenhouse gases in CO2 equivalent. These are direct and indirect emissions from fires, explosions, the movement of equipment, as well as large-scale population migrations. The environmental damage over these two years was estimated at $33 billion.
Vera Balabukh emphasizes that greenhouse gases that enter the atmosphere remain there for a long time and create a “heat trap” effect, which accelerates global warming. “We are talking about consequences on a planetary scale,” she notes.
Another critical problem is the destruction of forest belts in war zones. In the 1960s, dust storms were a regular disaster in southern Ukraine. They were saved by protective forest belts, which were planted specifically to stabilize the soil and preserve moisture. Today, a significant part of these plantations has been destroyed by explosions and fires.
“We’ve lost the natural barrier that kept dust storms at bay. And as the climate gets drier, the likelihood of them returning is increasing,” says Balabukh. The forest belts also held back snow and kept moisture in the soil. Wetter land means less risk of storms because the wind can’t easily lift dust particles.
Thus, the war has not only an immediate environmental effect, but also long-term consequences that will affect the climate, people's health, and the country's agricultural potential for a long time to come.
