Russia’s war against Ukraine had double effects as it claims human lives and affects nature, the head of the European Green Institute in Moldova Mariana Yatsko, lecturer at the Moldova State University, doctor of political science, stated in a public debate hosted by IPN. According to her, the costs associated with the reconstruction of the war-stricken areas will be very big.
“This war has disastrous effects. We should think about the munitions used by Russia in this war, nitrates, weapons with phosphorus that are banned by humanitarian international law and have a rather negative effect on the soil. We should not forget about those shelling on chemical plants, refineries, filling stations. All these substances pour into the soil, water. Even if the war ends in the near future, we will see to what extent those lands are inhabitable or can be cultivated,” stated Mariana Yatsko.
She said the war has disastrous consequences for the environment and the danger of a food crisis is very serious.
“As regards agriculture, besides the climate change, there is also the danger of a food crisis. We should not forget that Ukraine is the third largest grain exporter in the world and this conflict will harshly affect the Ukrainian agriculture, especially the areas covered by the military conflict. Practically, there will be areas that would not be inhabited by the people. It will be an experience similar to France’s experience in World War I and World War II, when the areas where inhabitation and cultivation of land were not allowed were marked with red color. Ukraine will be probably in the same situation,” said the head of the European Green Institute.
According to her, even if the states of the world support the reconstruction of Ukraine, the country will not be what it was before the war.
“The chemical substances and heavy metals persist for a long time. It is not excluded that they can reach food, as it happened in the Chernobyl zone, where it was very dangerous to grow something. It is very hard to estimate these effects, even if they are very evident at regional level. In time, these effects can cost us a lot,” noted Mariana Yatsko.
She also said that even if Moldova is a neutral country, the state should invest in security. “The conflict in Transnistria changed our life a lot as it brought us to a zone of uncertainty where it is very hard for the citizens or the government to plan things, to a zone with a conflict that has been frozen for 30 years. Even if we are a neutral state, we today should be aware that neutrality has a cost and the states should invest in their resilience and security. I also refer to environmental security. The planet is not of the right or of the left. It belongs to everyone. The air currents do not have borders and do not ask on what side you are. Therefore, we should be very attentive. The citizens should inform themselves from official sources and we should not contribute to expanding untruths, panic or division in society”.
The public debate entitled “The War and the Planet” was the 275th installment of IPN’s project “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
