The environmental impact of the war in Ukraine

Over the past year and a half of combat in Ukraine, forests have been flattened and burned by fighting. Bombings at oil depots and industrial sites have sent oil and toxic chemicals into the air, soil and ground. Land mines and unexploded ordnance now cover a big part of the country.
The costs of the war in Ukraine can be measured first and foremost in human lives lost, and destroyed communities and infrastructure.
But damages to the environment are also widespread, and they will continue to impact Ukrainians for decades to come.
In early June 2022, the Kakhovka Dam on the Dnipro River burst, unleashing much of the water from a reservoir roughly the size of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Towns and villages south of the dam were flooded. Floodwaters swept away houses and forced evacuations. They also swept up contaminants like sewage, oil and land mines.
This incident focused global attention on the environmental impact of the war for the first time.
But the environment has been impacted since February 2022 when the war started.
In the video above, The World’s Carolyn Beeler explains how the war has impacted the environment in Ukraine.
The old-school trench warfare along the front lines has torn up and mowed down forests and triggered forest fires.
Industrial sites and oil depots have been bombed and destroyed, sending contamination into the soil and groundwater.
Damaged wastewater and sewage facilities have contaminated drinking water. Also, land mines and unexploded ordinance have rendered lots of agricultural land unusable.
Beeler also speaks about the effort by the Ukrainian government and local NGOs to document the damage.
More on The World's coverage of the war in Ukraine on our website: www.theworld.org
The World is a co-production of GBH and PRX.
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[@janemoore4395]

Very sad what war does to nature, even worse when it is an unnecessary war (as most are). Perhaps we are better off by slowing down human breeding. Then there won't be so many people hating others so much that they need to start an unnecessary war.