Understanding the environmental impacts of war in Ukraine

War and conflict do not only harm civilians, but it also has a direct and indirect impact on the environment, ecosystems and livelihoods. Pollution and environmental degradation caused by infrastructure destruction due to shelling and explosive weapons can lead to long-term health issues and impact peoples livelihood. Norwegian People's Aid have been working on a project to document these impacts together with our partner the Conflict and Environment Observatory.

The project has assessed the presence and likely extent of soil pollution and wider environmental harm and gathered data on the interconnected and reverberating effects of the use of explosive weapons, including the destruction of critical infrastructure, local livelihoods, and land use patterns. There is a need to document the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine on the environment to strengthen international humanitarian laws, environmental protection and the protection of civilians.

The observations from the fieldwork and focus group interviews with the authorities in the communities assessesed showed a strong indication of damage to the environment, due to the hostilities and the use of explosive weapons in these communities.

The full report will be launched in the end of May, but this preliminary brief outlines the project, and some preliminary findings and recommendations