Amidst the Turmoil of Conflict, Ukraine Strives to Protect its Natural Treasures
Amidst the Turmoil of Conflict, Ukraine Strives to Protect its Natural Treasures
Inquiring about a Ukrainian's day can lead to profound realizations.
"It's been a rather peaceful morning, not much explosion action," shares Svitlana Hrynchuk, Ukraine's environmental ministry chief, speaking from Kyiv. "But we must persist, work hard, and push forward."
Hrynchuk is entrusted with a formidable task: maintaining nature's sanctity in a country that's been in a full-scale conflict for nearly three years. Despite the challenges, Hrynchuk articulates that for Ukrainians, war's human toll and environmental harm are deeply intertwined. "Nature isn't just some theoretical concept," she emphasizes. "It's our world, our life. It's the oxygen we breathe, the water we drink, the food we grow on our land."
However, as the human casualty count climbs, environmental violations - deliberate and accidental - persist. Russia has just announced a state of emergency in occupied Crimea due to significant oil spills from at least two tankers in the Kerch Strait. Russia's war on Ukraine's infrastructure has radically reshaped parts of the nation, including the demolition of the Kakhovka Dam, resulting in widespread flooding and ecosystem damage across an area the size of Indiana. Elsewhere, Kyiv reports that nearly 3 million hectares of forest have been devastated and 30% of the country has been seeded with landmines. As of now, Hrynchuk's department estimates the environmental cost of the war at around $70 billion, with this figure likely just the tip of the iceberg.
And then there's the war's carbon footprint. At the COP29 conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, Hrynchuk accused Russia of committing 6,500 environmental crimes, as well as generating over 180 million tons of CO2 equivalent emissions since the beginning of the conflict. The displacement of over 6 million Ukrainian citizens to other countries further added 3.3 million tons of CO2 to the emissions total. "This is undeniable ecological devastation," she claims.
The Fruits of Conflict
Ecological devastation is a serious concern for Ukraine. Although the term 'ecocide' is not yet acknowledged under international law, the deliberate destruction of flora and fauna is a criminal offense in Ukraine and the nation has joined forces with island states like Vanuatu, Fiji, and Samoa to press the International Criminal Court to recognize ecocide as an international crime. Hrynchuk believes that such recognition is essential for holding Russian President Vladimir Putin fully accountable for all aspects of the invasion.
"We've witnessed the repercussions when the world overlooks Putin's crimes," says Hrynchuk. "Ten years after its capture, Crimea, once a paradise for tourists, has become a massive military base."
Hrynchuk recalls her childhood in a Carpathian village, surrounded by nature. "Forests hold memories of my carefree childhood," she reminisces. Sadly, today, they are battlegrounds. As an agricultural nation, Ukraine values its land deeply, with nearly 60% of its territory being extremely fertile chernozem (black soil) – the source of Ukraine's agricultural wealth and the reasonwhy, according to the government, Ukraine can still feed 400 million people in 100 nations, despite up to 30% of the land being laced with deadly mines. Food production, explains Hrynchuk, is crucial to ensure the protection of Ukraine's environment, not just for its citizens, but for the global community as a whole.
At the age of 39, Hrynchuk is no novice to this struggle. She holds a PhD in agricultural economics and has specialized in agricultural policy throughout her career. In 2016, she was appointed director of Ukraine's Department for Climate Change and Ozone Protection, representing Ukraine at the UN's COP summit in Marrakech. Since the Russian invasion in 2022, she's been using climate conferences to highlight the environmental damage caused by the war, and since September, she has served as minister of environmental protection and natural resources. During COP29, her platform focused on restoration – restoration of Ukraine from war, and restoration of the planet from human-induced destruction.
At the geopolitical level, the importance of Hrynchuk's message lies in rallying support for Ukraine's cause. She paints Russia as the antithesis of environmental development, driven by a ceaseless desire to exploit both Ukraine and the natural world. Why, then, should European states with a pro-environmental agenda turn a blind eye to a literal war of environmental devastation on their doorstep?
But Grynchuk's message serves a more focused, strategic purpose as well: Ukraine's case for joining the EU can be strengthened by aligning with European environmental objectives. From installing renewable energy systems to planting around 600 million trees, striving for and appearing to uphold green practices aims to put Kyiv on the same environmental footing as Brussels. The European Commission's Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, in its 2024 report, outlines in detail the progress Ukraine has made in meeting European environmental standards for EU membership and offers suggestions for improvement in areas such as "environmental legislation across the board" and developing a functional carbon pricing mechanism.
The gravity of these recommendations may seem harsh or even trivial in light of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's latest announcement that approximately 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have lost their lives since the conflict began. The number of civilian casualties is unclear, but the United Nations estimates at least 12,000, with Russian forces claiming rapid advancements in eastern Ukraine and North Korea providing military support to Russian forces in the Kursk border region. In addition, a potential Trump presidency in the U.S. has raised concerns about aid and supplies being withdrawn at a critical juncture.
Grynchuk, however, remains optimistic about U.S. support: "I think American people will stay invested in Ukraine, as civilized countries acknowledge Russia's disregard for the rules," she asserts, vividly remembering Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement at COP22 in 2016. Despite Trump's threats towards NATO, his perceived animosity towards Ukraine's president, and his historically warm relationship with Putin, Grynchuk remains hopeful that Ukraine will still have "plenty of opportunities for dialogue and action with the new U.S. administration."
Such resilience could be deemed necessary for any Ukrainian official. Like Grynchuk, many Ukrainians adopt the inspirational words of renowned British wartime leader Winston Churchill, who famously replied, "Then what are we fighting for?" when asked to reduce support for the arts in favor of war funding. This philosophy sustains Grynchuk's dedication to safeguarding Ukraine's environment.
Reflecting on 2023's destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, Grynchuk finds solace in the natural world's capacity to recover: "Even during the bleakest times, nature rebounds," she says, expressing astonishment at the rate of reforestation in the wetlands around the Dnipro River following the flooding. She sees this revitalization as a testament to Ukrainian resilience and offers a glimmer of hope: "We plant trees in bomb craters and gather honey from mined fields," she shares.
- In response to the environmental damage caused by the ongoing Ukraine war, Ukraine and several other nations are advocating for the recognition of ecocide as an international crime by the International Criminal Court.2.Svitlana Hrynchuk, Ukraine's environmental ministry chief, accused Russia of committing 6,500 environmental crimes during the Ukraine war and generating over 180 million tons of CO2 equivalent emissions.
- Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, announced that approximately 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have lost their lives since the conflict began, with the number of civilian casualties being unclear, but estimated at least 12,000 by the United Nations.
- Despite the challenges and the destruction caused by the war, including oil spills, deliberate destruction of flora and fauna, and widespread flooding, Hrynchuk remains optimistic about the potential for dialogue and action with the new U.S. administration, led by President Donald Trump, to support Ukraine's environmental restoration efforts.