The cost of war: environmental�price tag

Discussion on ecological damage in Ukraine

and how to remedy it

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2/05/2023, Prague

�Khymych Olha,

PhD student, Institute of Economic Studies, Charles University

Uces.ua@gmail.com

The price to pay: introduction

• According to an international assessment, the cost of reconstruction has grown to €383 billion as of 24 February 2023.
• Ukraine occupies less than 6% of Europe’s land mass but is home to 35% of its biodiversity. It is home to more than 74,000 plant and animal species, many rare, relict, and endemic, including European bison and brown bears, lynx, wolves and sturgeon. 
• Due to the war, 20% of protected natural areas were damaged, and approximately 80 animal species are at risk of extinction.
• russians have taken control of 10 national parks, eight reserves, and two biosphere reserves, and in some of these areas, they are permitting the hunting of protected animals.

Injured and dead dolphins have been washing up on the coast of the Black Sea in Ukraine, Turkey and Romania:

• the harmful effects of sonar, which damages their ability to hunt;
• the usage of phosphorus incendiaries which causes burns on their bodies;
• explosions caused by the conflict can result in dolphins experiencing embolisms and decompression sickness, leading them to rise to the surface.

A dead dolphin found on the coast of the Black Sea.

Source: https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-06-03-22/h_c4cbb1754cc780fe0dc9af5dcf8c4451

Ukraine’s Ministry of Environmental Protection estimates:

• 33 million tons of conflict-related greenhouse gas emissions.
• 14k conflict-related fires have released millions of tons of carbon into the air from burning biomass.
• 570 toxic spills or emissions from attacks on industrial facilities.

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A damaged forest near Chernihiv, a city north of Kyiv in April 2022. Photo: Mykhaylo Palinchak / SOPA Images / Sipa USA via AP Images

Source: https://harvardpublichealth.org/environmental-health/environmental-damage-in-ukraine-raises-the-health-costs-of-war/

• 6 million people have required help with access to clean water and proper sanitation, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks.
• Two-thirds of the coal mines in Ukraine have been destroyed or flooded as the result of military actions. Many of the mines contain toxic chemicals which can leach into surface and ground waters.
• Hundreds of sea mines contaminate the Azov and Black Sea coasts and ports.
• 1,434 kms2 of the Sea of Azov are polluted from an oil spill in September.

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Oil spill. Photo: krasman / iStock

Source: https://harvardpublichealth.org/environmental-health/environmental-damage-in-ukraine-raises-the-health-costs-of-war/

• Up to 24,000 artillery rounds daily release toxic residues that contaminate the soil and water, affecting agricultural land and posing hazards to human health.
• 27% of the country is contaminated with landmines and unexploded ordinance.
• It could take fifteen years to fully de-mine Ukraine.
• Thirty percent of Ukraine’s protected areas have been bombed, polluted, or hit by military maneuvers.
• 600 species of animals and 880 species of plants in Ukraine are now at risk of extinction.

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KAM’YANKA, UKRAINE: Three unexploded grenades in a field

Photo: Justin Yau/ Sipa USA via AP Images

Source: https://harvardpublichealth.org/environmental-health/environmental-damage-in-ukraine-raises-the-health-costs-of-war/

According to the Kyiv School of Economics, the total damage to Ukraine’s infrastructure includes:

• 131.4k private homes
• 17.5k apartment buildings
• 3,021 schools
• 1,131 health care facilities
• 50% Ukraine’s energy infrastructure

KYIV, UKRAINE: A woman stands outside her destroyed apartment building following a rocket attack in February 2022. Photo: Emilio Morenatti / AP Photo

Source: https://harvardpublichealth.org/environmental-health/environmental-damage-in-ukraine-raises-the-health-costs-of-war/

The price to pay: industrial infrastructure and wastes

the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, representing the first military takeover of a nuclear power plant in history.

• It has been subject to shelling and frequent interruptions of its electrical power supply, representing a major safety threat.
• A prolonged loss of electrical power to the plant could lead to a system breakdown and radiation leaks, like what happened at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in March 2022. Photo: Ilja Nedilko / Unsplash

Source: https://harvardpublichealth.org/environmental-health/environmental-damage-in-ukraine-raises-the-health-costs-of-war/

Solutions: Ukraine’s Recovery Plan

Solutions: Ukraine’s Recovery Plan

1. The first stage of recovery is natural recovery during a war.
2. The second stage is the emergency period after the end of the war.
3. Third stage is a complete plan for the restoration of Ukraine, which includes structural changes.

“Not just the restoration of buildings, but a paradigm shift of our state” (Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal)

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The World Bank estimates Ukraine will require between $500-$600 billion for recovery and reconstruction. Ukraine has established a National Council for Recovery to help transform Ukraine into a post-war green and net-zero economy.

Solution: monitoring and reporting

Solutions: ways to help

• Providing educational support;
• Providing professional support;
• Providing technical support;
• Enhancing fundraising for nature and species conservation projects to preserve Ukraine’s nature.
• Get acquainted with the needs of protected areas, zoos, animal protection organizations;
• Share information.

Ukraine is one of the top 5 agricultural countries in the world which can feed up to 600 million of people (source: ministry of agriculture in Ukraine)

The World to Rebuild Rural Ukraine is a charity fundraising project aimed to help Ukrainian village citizens rebuild their homes and restore their small ag production capacities after damage by russian military forces.

https://www.wrru.org/

Source: https://www.wrru.org/

• You can provide humanitarian assistance to natural areas, shelters and temporarily displaced domestic and wild animals under occupation, as well as help rebuild institutions that suffered from the war in Ukraine.
• Different organizations need very different help: from food, medicine, necessary equipment for the care and treatment of animals, to technical and financial support.

Source: https://rewilding-danube-delta.com/help-ua-nature/

Solutions: ways to help

Source: https://rewilding-danube-delta.com/help-ua-nature/

Sources:

https://www.urc-international.com/urc2022-recovery-plan

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01960-0

https://rewilding-danube-delta.com/help-ua-nature/

https://fakty.com.ua/ua/ukraine/20220509-za-novymy-standartamy-zhyttya-shmygal-rozpoviv-pro-try-etapy-vidnovlennya-ukrayiny/

https://www.wrru.org/

https://ecozagroza.gov.ua/en

https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/news/understanding-the-environmental-cost-of-the-ukraine-war/

https://harvardpublichealth.org/environmental-health/environmental-damage-in-ukraine-raises-the-health-costs-of-war/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/20/ukraine-war-cost-for-nature-russia

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Thank you for attention!