It will be necessary to pay attention to the restoration of the country’s ecosystems destroyed by the war in the plan for the rebuilding of Ukraine.
Source: EU Commissioner for the Environment Virginijus Sinkevicius
Virginijus Sinkevicius warned the environmental cost of the conflict was “increasing every day” — and said it could take “generations” to overcome.
Next week, leaders of dozens of countries and international organizations will gather in the Swiss city of Lugano to discuss the reconstruction of Ukraine, hoping to develop a “Marshall Plan” to rebuild the country even as Russia’s attacks on Ukraine continue.
“They are bombing chemical facilities” and have endangered nuclear power plants, he said, adding that “hundreds of thousands of tons” of destroyed Russian military equipment will need to be cleared.
He said environmental damage, especially to large forests, was a “crime of the greatest magnitude” that “will take generations to deal with”.
Now is a unique opportunity to create a cleaner Ukraine.
But he warned: “We can rebuild roads, we can rebuild the infrastructure, but for forests to grow, you need hundreds of years. So, it will take time.”
See also: Ukraine began to export electricity to Europe
