Fires broke out earlier this week in the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant in Ukraine. The European Space Agency captured satellite imagery that showed at least seven fires in the plant’s exclusion zone. Warning to Ukrainian officialsIt would be difficult for them to be extinguished because the area has been occupied by Russian troops.
The war in Ukraine has made environmental damage more visible than other conflicts. This is due to a growing awareness and improved monitoring, as well as the ability of social media platforms to quickly relay news. This has only served to highlight weaknesses in the legal framework to prevent them.
The risks in Ukraine are increased by the country’s densely populated nature and high level of industrialisation. According to the Environmental Peacebuilding Association, attacks on civilian and military sites have already led to major fires in fuel storage areas. Fighting in Kharkiv also caused a rupture in a gas pipeline. It also claimsWidespread Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure, which includes the targeting of water infrastructure, is a clear violation of international law.
High levels of anxiety are also associated with a nuclear accident. Russia occupies Chernobyl. Up to recentlyIt refused to take over the work of the exhausted workers who were on duty after Russia seized the site. In the south-east part of the country, Russian troops also attacked Zaporizhzhia nuke power plant. Ukraine has reported damage to Two nuclear waste facilities, while the conflict is disrupted day-to-dayMonitoring of radiation and air quality.
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One Ukrainian scientist BewareThe overall environmental risks could be even more severe and dangerous than the Chernobyl catastrophe.
These are not abstract issues. The impact of environmental destruction on the Ukrainian population’s health, food supply, livelihood and well-being is direct. The risks are not only limited to Ukraine. The price of wheat has already risen globally due to disruptions in Ukrainian agriculture. Water pollution also crosses borders. A nuclear catastrophe could have serious international consequences.
Doug Weir, research and policies director of Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS), says it’s natural to focus on the humanitarian impacts. However, environmental impacts can also have serious humanitarian implications.
What can we do?
108 civil society organizations from all over the globe attended the UN Environment Assembly meeting in Nairobi, February 28th. The serious environmental risks are highlightedthe threat of invasion and requested assistance to monitor and address them. Separate open letterThe Environmental Peacebuilding Association enjoins the international community to investigate and monitor possible violations of international environmental and rights law and to hold them accountable.
The International Criminal Court’s Office of the Prosecutor (ICC) has been established. AnnouncementIt will launch an investigation into crimes committed in Ukraine. Although the court has the theoretical authority to investigate the crime of intentionally attacking the natural environment with the knowledge that it will cause severe, long-term, and widespread damage, it has never brought any prosecution.