The war, resolved by Russia against Ukraine, caused not only human casualties and destruction of infrastructure, but also a significant environmental blow that already has global consequences. According to the candidate of geographical sciences Vera Balabukh, the head of the department of applied meteorology and climatology of the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute, the fighting significantly influence the climate change - not only in Ukraine but throughout the planet.
According to Mindovquil, from February 2022 to February 2024, up to 180 million tons of greenhouse gases were thrown as a result of the war. These are direct and indirect emissions from fires, explosions, movement of equipment, as well as large -scale migrations of the population. The environment has been estimated at $ 33 billion in these two years.
Vera Balabukh emphasizes that greenhouse gases that enter the atmosphere remain there for a long time and create the effect of a "heat trap", which accelerates global warming. "It is about the consequences of planetary scale," she notes.
Another critical problem is the destruction of forest strips in hostilities. In the 1960s, dust storms were a regular disaster in the south of Ukraine. They were rescued from protective forest strips, which were planted precisely for soil stabilization and moisture preservation. Today, much of these plantations have been destroyed by explosions and fires.
“We lost the natural barrier that restrained dust storms. And given that the climate is becoming more arid, the likelihood of their return is increasing, ”Balabukh says. Forest strips also delayed snow and kept moisture in the soil. Moist soil is a lower risk of storm as the wind cannot easily raise dust particles.
Thus, the war has not only an instant environmental effect, but also long -term consequences that will have a long influence on the climate, human health and the country's agricultural potential.
