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Ground Report | New Delhi: Impact of Russia-Ukraine war on climate; Climate change and global security are pressuring each other to shape the future. That is particularly evident in this week's events related to nuclear power. This could result in the deaths of thousands of civilians, a potential refugee crisis and a global economic downfall. It will also create irreversible damage to the regional and global environment, much like the Chernobyl disaster did in the 1980s.
In the midst of the war in Ukraine, it seems difficult for the media to make room for climate news. They are, however, linked. In any case, this is what Svitlana Krakoska, a Ukrainian meteorologist and member of the IPCC, maintains. In a video meeting of the group of international experts, the specialist said: "The money which finances this aggression (Russian in Ukraine, NDR) is directly linked to climate change since this money comes from fossil fuels, oil and gas. If we did not depend on these energies, Russia would not have the means to undertake this war,” she added.
The Ukrainian people will certainly have to live with the direct environmental consequences linked to the Russian invasion. Buildings, roads and infrastructure to rebuild, it will not only be expensive, but it will also require new materials, underlines Émile Boisseau-Bouvier, climate policy analyst for Équiterre.
“When we talk about war, we are talking about moving armoured vehicles, supplying troops, dispatching humanitarian aid, destroying and subsequently rebuilding buildings, fires, contaminated water and potentially of radioactive waste”, lists the analyst, a few days after the unveiling of the most recent report by the scientific body IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change).
Reducing greenhouse gas pollution will be a generation-long process. Unlike many other forms of pollution, carbon dioxide from fossil fuels and methane emitted from agriculture and waste are deeply embedded in our economy. The process of reducing these pollutants will take time. But I am convinced that with ingenuity and determination, we can reduce these dangerous pollutants. When we have brought this form of pollution under control, then we must reduce the long-term buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere through government-funded carbon capture and storage. (Impact of Russia-Ukraine war on climate)
In the meantime, it is entirely appropriate to focus on the growing catastrophe in Ukraine. My long-term concern for environmental sustainability assumes that our leaders live in the real world and have a respect for the planet and its well-being. It's obvious that Putin doesn't care about people or the planet. His delusions are exponentially bigger and more dangerous than any climate or COVID denier could ever be.
The global effort to delegitimize Putin is more important than any other issue on our political agenda. Combating lethal force with economic and political power may not be enough, but it is absolutely necessary. The scenes of suffering in Ukraine are heartbreaking.
The recklessness of the Russian invasion has never been more evident than last week's attack and near-destruction of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine. We will return soon enough to the long-term threat of global warming.
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