Environmental Destruction Flies Under the Radar in Ukraine Coverage on DK
https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/01/12/the-war-has-devastated-ukraines-environment-too
I barely have time today to post this and will be very brief...I’ve attached a link to an article in The Economist which addresses the horrendous environmental damage being done by the war in Ukraine. Mark, Kos and Annieli have done an amazing job covering this conflict but have barely addressed this aspect of the war.
Since the vast portion of my Ukraine news and environmental information come from Daily Kos, I cannot address the level of coverage of this issue from other sources. However, with exceptions, I suspect it is, if anything, worse.
Since it is not a separate issue, but rather integral part of the ongoing conflict, directly effecting the population both in the present and future, I feel this an unfortunate and serious omission. For some of us this has been an ongoing concern since this invasion began and the concrete information provided in The Economist article clarifies the reality of the impact the war is having on the environment.
A close friend linked me to this article and I was unable to access it, however she did copy and message me what I assume is most of the content.
It appears you have to subscribe to the The Economist for access. As I don’t know the legalities of direct quotes, I’ll give a brief and partial sampling of what I’ve read.
The article discusses physical damage to the landscape, destruction of wild life and habitats, pollution by heavy metals, chemicals and emissions, etc. So far “over 42m tonnes of carbon dioxide, roughly the same as the annual emissions of Bulgaria” have been released due to the war and “680,000 tons of oil and fuel” have burned due to attacks on Ukrainian depots.
If you have access, please read the full article for a fuller view of this conflict and if you know how to provide it for others, please do so in comments.
Long after the battle has subsided the legacy of this damage will continue to effect Ukrainians as an integral part of the overall destruction of this unnecessary war. As we teeter on the brink of environmental global annihilation, it also has profound implications for our collective survival.
I am adding this link provided in a comment below as it has free access:
e360.yale.edu/...