Russia's War in Ukraine Has Unleashed 175 Million Tons of Carbon Emissions, Posing a Huge Environmental Threat

A report released on Thursday revealed that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has directly led to or facilitated the emission of 175 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, which is equivalent to the annual emissions of the Netherlands in a year.

This is based on a report released by the Ministry of the Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine and climate NGOs. The estimate encompasses both emissions already released and those anticipated during repair works that will be needed after the destruction caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused many environmental catastrophes, including blowing up the Kakhovka dam, which led to agricultural, humanitarian, and ecological consequences.

“Billions of liters of fuel used by military vehicles, nearly a million hectares of fields and forests set ablaze, hundreds of oil and gas structures blown up, and vast amounts of steel and cement used to fortify hundreds of miles of front lines,” the report said.

The emissions caused by the war can roughly be categorized into three parts: emissions from military activities, emissions from the production of steel and concrete required for the reconstruction of infrastructure, and the third part includes various factors such as fires and population movements.

“The total climate damage that the Russian Federation has caused after 24 months of the war amounts to more than USD 32 billion,” it stated.

At the beginning of the war, most of the emissions came from the destruction of civilian infrastructure that would require later reconstruction. As of now, most emissions come from combat activity, landscape fires, and the destruction of energy infrastructure.