Russia Owes the ‘Entire World’ for Environmental Degradation: Ukraine - Thefirstray News

 Moscow's invasion is projected to result in direct emissions of 33 million tons of CO2, and the estimated restoration of infrastructure is predicted to result in emissions of 49 million tons of CO2

Ruslan Strilets, the environment minister for Kyiv, stated at the United Nations climate conference on November 14 that Russia must accept responsibility for the environmental harm brought on by its invasion of Ukraine.

Mr. Strilets stated during a press briefing on the grounds of the COP27 summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh that Ukraine is introducing a platform to assess the environmental impact caused by Russia's military action.

He said, "Russia must be held responsible not only for Ukraine but also for the whole world."

Mr. Strilets stated that Kyiv hopes the new platform will "unify international approaches to... assessing damage to the environment and climate", and that it will also "strengthen international cooperation to restore the environment affected by armed conflicts."

He added, "But the main challenge, and we understand it, is that it will be very difficult for us to file (law) suits for every environmental damage."

Moscow's invasion is projected to result in direct emissions of 33 million tons of CO2, and the estimated restoration of infrastructure is predicted to result in emissions of 49 million tons of CO2, the minister warned.

According to Mr. Strilets, almost 2,200 cases of environmental damage have been registered so far.

The war, which started in February, has also led to severe global shortages of food and gas, which have prompted other nations to try to increase production to fill the void left by the two main exporters.

Mr. Strilets notified the environment ministers of the European Union in July that the war had damaged forests, contaminated water, polluted fields, and filled them with mines.

He said that the Russian invasion had destroyed three million hectares (7.4 million acres) of Ukrainian forests.

In response, the EU's environment ministers promised to support Kyiv.

Members of the 27-nation bloc, according to Czech Minister Anna Hubackova, could contribute to assessing the damage, mapping it out, and providing financial support.

originally published by: https://www.thefirstray.com/russia-owes-the-entire-world-for-environmental-degradation-ukraine