More than two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the country has experienced considerable environmental destruction with both immediate and longer-term consequences on human health, ecosystems, the Ukrainian economy and beyond. Attacks on infrastructure and industry have resulted in pollution to air, water and land; waste infrastructure has been overwhelmed; debris and hazardous waste created in massive amounts; agricultural lands and forests burned, damaged and nature degraded.
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| President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: @ZelenskkyUa |
International support has been mobilised to help to meet Ukraine’s immediate needs, including ongoing support to assess the environmental damage. At the same time, efforts are underway to support the post-war economic and social recovery and reconstruction. Now is the time to ensure that the recovery and development of Ukraine follows green economy and low-emission development principles, and that these are not seen as only desirable or optional, but as an economic necessity for a fundamental transformation of Ukraine’s economy and society.
“War is, quite literally, toxic, affecting our environments and in turn, the air we breathe, our water systems, and our food systems – this new Platform aims to support the people of Ukraine in their recovery, supporting their path to a greener, more sustainable future,” said Bruno Pozzi, Deputy Director of the Ecosystems Division, UNEP.
