Russia’s war in Ukraine has devastated not just communities but also ecosystems, leaving behind toxic waste, deforestation, and widespread pollution with long-term consequences.
Julia Vergin reports for Deutsche Welle.
In short:
- The war has caused at least $56.4 billion in environmental damage, contaminating air, water, and soil with chemicals and heavy metals.
- Nearly one-third of Ukraine’s protected natural areas have been damaged, and researchers fear the war’s effects will persist for decades.
- Toxic substances from munitions, including TNT, mercury, and lead, threaten human health through groundwater contamination and food chain exposure.
Key quote:
"TNT compromises the ability of marine life to reproduce, grow, and develop. We also know from these studies that TNT and other explosives are carcinogenic."
— Edmund Maser, director of the Institute for Toxicology at the University Clinic in Kiel, Germany
Why this matters:
War reshapes landscapes in ways that linger long after the fighting ends. Ukraine’s soil, water, and air are now laced with pollutants that could harm people and wildlife for generations. Heavy metals and explosives from munitions seep into ecosystems, threatening food production and drinking water. Destruction of forests and wetlands accelerates biodiversity loss, while carbon emissions from bombings worsen climate change.
Similar environmental crises have unfolded in past conflicts, but Ukraine’s scale of contamination is unprecedented. Scientists warn that without accountability and remediation efforts, these damages will worsen, affecting not just Ukraine but potentially its neighbors as well.
For some better news: Ukraine's regenerating wildflowers defy war's devastation
