Ukraine: An Intersection of Environment and Nuclear Security Issues
Publisher: Peace Policy
Author(s): Drew Marcantonio and Kristina Hook
Date: 2023
Topics: Weapons, Waste, and Pollution
Countries: Russian Federation, Ukraine
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 is one of the most monitored conflicts in the history of warfare. From remote sensing satellite imagery to signals intelligence to social media monitoring, copious data are being collected and analyzed in real time. In particular, a substantial amount of attention is focused on the environmental impacts and implications of this war.
The environmental risks at play, including nuclear contamination, highlight the complex threats that exist in most industrialized societies. Ukraine’s experience from Chernobyl radiation was further compounded by contaminated and polluted industrial sites. Linked to its Soviet heritage as a producer of heavy industry, the country’s air pollution emissions from metallurgical and coal industries were widespread, and hazardous waste and toxic emissions posed a challenge connected to the energy sector.