Elena Kramarenko from the Ministry of Health: The war has caused environmental damage amounting to trillions of hryvnias.

While the war continues, not only people and their homes are suffering. The ecosystem is severely harmed by missiles and explosives. How this impacts forests, fields, air quality, and how long it will take to overcome these issues – in an interview with the First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, Elena Kramarenko.

The destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, the annihilation of industrial enterprises, forests, and agricultural fields by enemy missiles, soil and surface water pollution – after the war, Ukraine will grapple with the consequences of all these horrific devastations for decades.

Specialized services have recorded over 6,000 instances of environmental damage caused by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation. And this is only what has been physically documented: access to some areas is currently impossible due to war and occupation.

This year, the Sumy and Chernihiv regions suffered from pollution in the Sema and Desna rivers. Water in these rivers temporarily became unsuitable for use. By the end of summer and in autumn, several regions of the country were engulfed in smog, causing Kyiv to rank first in the world for air pollution on some days.

The damage to the environment caused by the occupiers is already estimated in trillions of hryvnias. Although this figure is actually much higher, says Elena Kramarenko, the First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine. In an interview with RBC-Ukraine, she discussed the harm the war inflicts on the ecosystem, why it is crucial for everyone to protect natural resources, and how climate change is felt in Ukraine.

– Due to the pollution of the Sema and Desna rivers, there was a mass die-off of fish in August, and local residents found it impossible to draw water from wells. What is the current situation regarding pollution, and is there a threat to the Dnieper, particularly within Kyiv?

– First of all, I want to say that we are no longer registering pollution. The situation is stable. The water currently has a natural color without any specific odor. We also do not observe fish kills, and the water quality indicators are typical for this time of year.

The pollution we observed in August-September is no longer advancing. There has been dilution, and we see that water quality indicators in the rivers are gradually improving and returning to normal. The levels of chemical oxygen demand and dissolved oxygen at all monitoring points are within the norm.

The State Water Agency and the State Environmental Inspection continue to monitor the condition of the waters. With the stabilization of the situation, they have transitioned from daily sampling to weekly studies. Additionally, oxygen is being supplied to the Desna River using aeration installations. Therefore, it can be confidently stated that the situation is currently stable.

– What was the cause of the pollution? And is there anything else that needs to be done besides oxygenating the water?

– Currently, no additional actions are required. The air has already become cooler, meaning the water is cooling down, and the oxygen saturation is occurring naturally.

3Photo: Currently, pollution in the Desna River is no longer recorded, – Ministry of Environment (Getty Images)

However, scientific institutions that are part of the scientific and technical council of the Ministry of Environment are developing an action plan for the rehabilitation of the Sema and Desna rivers. Additionally, scenarios for potential emergencies similar to the pollution incidents in the Sema and Desna rivers are being crafted, including how to respond if something similar occurs in the future.

In this situation, we saw how effectively the relevant authorities worked together: local self-government bodies, regional state administrations, the State Emergency Service, the State Environmental Inspection, and other structures. Kyivvodokanal also collaborated with us from day one. When this incident occurred, everyone was trying to prevent the deterioration of water quality at the intakes from these rivers. Of course, this emergency situation also highlighted our weak points; we need to improve communication with the public.

The cause of the pollution was the discharge of industrial wastewater from a sugar factory located in Russia, a conclusion shared by all scientific institutions that conducted investigations. The Institute of Hydrobiology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Institute of Microbiology and Virology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and many other institutions conducted thorough analyses of the collected samples. They all agreed that the pollutant was an organic substance discharged from the sugar factory.

– Recently, we also faced the issue of peat bog fires again. Due to this, air quality deteriorated in several regions, and on one day, Kyiv ranked first in the world for pollution levels. What is the source of this problem, and how does it affect the ecosystem?

– What are peat bogs? They are wetland ecosystems where processes of accumulating undecomposed plant remains occur, leading to the formation of peat. Peat bogs typically ignite when there has been a prolonged absence of rain, leaving them in a dried-out state.

However, the ignition of peat bogs today is due to the deliberate burning of dry vegetation, explosions resulting from combat actions during the war, and fires in forested areas that spread to the peat bogs, causing them to catch fire.

This emergency situation is very challenging in terms of extinguishing the fires. Why? Because we can douse the surface of the peat bog with water, but the remnants below may still smolder and penetrate deeper, complicating the firefighting process. I can say that to extinguish peat bog fires, about one ton of water is needed per square meter of fire. This illustrates how difficult it is to put out and manage such fires.

How does this affect all of us? Smoke rises and can be carried over large areas. If combustion products accumulate in the air in cities, we smell it, and it all impacts our health. During such fires, the harm to human health is significantly greater due to the release of toxic substances like carbon monoxide and dioxide, fine particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds.

4Photo: Due to peat bog fires, Kyiv experienced severe smog (Getty Images)

– What can be done about this?

– Abroad, nature-oriented solutions to prevent fires in peat bogs mainly focus on rewetting and restoring peat bogs to their natural state before drainage. In Ukraine, projects for restoring drained peat bogs are being implemented, but they are limited and mostly conducted within protected natural areas. However, even the conservation status does not always shield these areas from such issues.

One of the mechanisms that could reduce destruction and aid in the restoration of peat bogs is the adoption of Bill No. 4461 on Ukraine's Emerald Network. It was created under the Bern Convention, developed by the Council of Europe to protect wildlife and natural habitats both in Europe and beyond the EU.

– What would this give us in practice?

– It would help preserve natural species and their habitats at an international level. The network aids in protecting rare and endangered animal and plant species, as well as critical natural habitats, ensuring their survival for future generations. Countries that are part of the network commit to adhering to common conservation standards, thereby facilitating efforts to preserve biodiversity across the continent.

Including specific territories in the Emerald Network promotes the implementation of ecologically sustainable natural resource management practices, which helps protect ecosystems.

Moreover, after Ukraine joins the European Union, significant funding will be provided for activities aimed at conserving and restoring species and habitats within the Emerald Network territories (the Emerald Network consists of protected areas created under the Bern Convention throughout Europe to conserve species and habitats at risk of extinction across the continent – ed.).

Currently, a more effective approach is to restore groundwater levels in areas that were previously drained for peat extraction.

Everything that occurs due to climate change and temperature fluctuations also impacts both groundwater and surface waters. In nature, all these processes are closely interconnected. Therefore, we must treat water with care and use it rationally to preserve our surface and groundwater.

– You mentioned climate change. What specific climate changes are currently noticeable in Ukraine? What was not present, for instance, ten years ago?

– The causes of climate change are numerous. Primarily, it is human activity. In Ukraine, we are witnessing warmer winters, dry summers, and a lack of precipitation. This year alone has led to the shallowing of some rivers. Thus, we must use natural resources sparingly and reduce our negative impact on the environment.

Due to the war, greenhouse gas emissions have increased. These emissions contribute to the intensification of global warming and accelerate climate change, necessitating an international response. Throughout the year of war, emissions reached levels exceeding the annual figures of some countries.

5Photo: Agricultural lands are also suffering due to the war (Getty Images)

The total amount of emissions caused by the war (in other words, purely military CO2 emissions) reached 180 million tons of CO2