March 13th, 2023, Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) Environmental Management LAB Head Prof. Paulo Pereira told Washington Post reporters that the devastating environmental effects of the Ukraine war will last a long time due to "the intensity of the bombing."
In an article titled, "The War in Ukraine is a Human Tragedy. It's Also an Environmental Disaster," Prof. Pereira told reporters that "the most comparable impact would probably be the Second World War or Vietnam."
It is apparent that the environmental toll will devastate lives for decades.
"The intensity of the bombing is totally different from other modern wars; each day, it's missile after missile after missile," Prof. Pereira is quoted as telling Washington Post reporters Jeff Stein and Michael Birnbaum.
The two reporters in the article cite experts who fear the Ukrainian conflict is creating a dangerous legacy in Ukraine, which has now been turned into a battlefield.
“The most comparable impact would probably be the Second World War or Vietnam. The intensity of the bombing is totally different from other modern wars; each day, it’s missile after missile after missile,” said Prof. Pereira.
He and his research team at MRU have used satellite imagery to identify the explosion of “dozens and dozens” of bombs over farmlands, raising the potential of heavy metals entering the country’s food chain, and higher rates of cancer resulting from soil and water contamination, the Washington Post reporters write.
“The effects will cascade for a long time,” adds Prof. Pereira.
The Washington Post reports that the Ukrainian war has scarred Ukraine’s natural environment. It has polluted its rivers and lakes and contaminated the soil. Experts fear all this may lead to a long-term increase in cancers and other illnesses among civilians.
The Ukrainian government says that so far, the war has led to more than $51 billion of environmental damage. Many experts say that the figure is, at best, an approximation, but that there is little doubt that the ecological impact will be felt for years in myriad ways.
The "Washington Post" article is here.
