World Environment Day
5 June 2025World Environment Day is celebrated annually on 5 June.
Every year this initiative becomes more and more important, as environmental issues are becoming critical to our survival and well-being.
Against the backdrop of the full-scale war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine, this day takes on a special meaning, as the hostilities are causing enormous damage to the Ukrainian environment: forests are burning, agricultural land is being destroyed, water bodies are being polluted, animals and plants are dying. As a result of explosions, shelling, sinking of ships and oil leaks, massive deaths of fish, many other aquatic life and plankton are regularly recorded.
Today, Ukraine is the most mined country in the world (about 176,000 km of roadways are potentially mined).2):
- There are still many unexploded ordnance on Ukrainian territory that threaten the lives of people and animals;
- As a result of the war in Ukraine, more than 5 million hectares of agricultural land are unusable;
- The explosions of various types of ammunition, the use of artillery, rockets, and bombs, as well as the destruction of chemical plants and warehouses with hazardous substances, are causing a deterioration in the quality of air, soil, water bodies, and agricultural products.
During the three years of war in Ukraine, emissions of carbon dioxide alone, which is a greenhouse gas, reached about 230 million tonnes. This is equivalent to the annual emissions of Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia combined, or the emissions produced by 120 million cars every year.
The explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant in 2023 is one of the largest environmental disasters in the history of Ukraine. Overall. was flooded 620 km² of land. 333,000 hectares of protected areas and 11,294 hectares of forest land were affected. Flooded areas included petrol stations, oil depots, industrial facilities, and chemical storage facilities, which may have a long-term negative impact on the environment.
As a result of the war and environmental pollution, the demographic situation in the country has deteriorated sharply, with a significant increase in the incidence of mental disorders, cardiovascular and cancer.
We call on everyone to join forces to preserve and restore our country's environment. Together we can make the country better and ensure a clean and healthy environment for future generations.
