The Impact of the russian War in Ukraine on the Climate: An Interim Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

A year ago, Russia launched an open military attack on Ukraine. Military actions have led to serious consequences for the environment, such as pollution of soil, air, water bodies, forest fires, damage to nature reserves, destruction of ecosystems, threats of nuclear danger, etc.

An interim estimate of greenhouse gas emissions in four key areas directly caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine shows that in the first 7 months of hostilities alone, emissions amounted to at least 100 million tons of CO2 eq. This is equivalent to the annual emissions of a country like Belgium.

Reconstruction of civilian infrastructure accounts for half of all greenhouse gas emissions. Fires are the second largest source of emissions. Emissions from military operations account for a smaller share, although there is a lack of information to conduct a comprehensive analysis. Transportation emissions associated with the movement of refugees and internally displaced persons are relatively low.

As a number of the consequences of this war have not yet been accounted for, the figures are likely to be lower than the actual level. The longer the Russian war lasts, the higher the final figures will be.

Please note! The material is available for review in Ukrainian only

Source: https://ecoaction.org.ua/vplyv-ros-vijny-na-klimat.html