School of Pharmacy, National Forensic Sciences University, Sector 9, Near Police Bhawan, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India.
Department of Forest and Environment, Gujarat Environment Management Institute (GEMI), Sector 10 B, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India.
Sci Total Environ. 2022 Dec 1;850:157932. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157932. Epub 2022 Aug 9.
The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is the most prominent conflict in Europe since the Second World War and has several geopolitical, economic, infrastructure, and health implications. The war has serious negative consequences on people and the planet. The damage to industrial and commercial infrastructure can contaminate water sources, which can be hazardous for human and ecosystem health. Water shortages and deteriorating sanitary conditions are already evident since water supply and sanitary infrastructure have been hit. Air quality is adversely affected due to troop movement and constant bombarding. Chances of radiation leakage from nuclear sites also remain. The physical, chemical and biological characteristics of soil have been impacted due to shelling and explosions, as a result of which, agriculture has been severely affected. Military actions have caused large-scale deforestation and even wildfires. There is also fear of biodiversity loss and species extinction in the long term. The war of such nature may directly hamper efforts to deal with aspects such as climate change, sustainable development goals (SDGs), conservation and protection of biodiversity, and pollution control at local and global levels. Besides this, the repercussions of this war on essential services such as healthcare, education, social security, and public amenities will be felt for a long. As a result of important interruptions in the supply of energy and raw materials throughout the world, prices for commodities, oil, and food have risen dramatically. To avert such damages in the future and make the offenders accountable, in the long term, reforms in the mandate of the International Criminal Court are required to include environmental crimes. New international norms to safeguard the environment during conflict are urgently needed. The environment should not be considered an unavoidable war casualty. Environmental and human security are inextricably linked. The international community's reaction to the crisis must include addressing this as a priority.
正在进行的俄乌战争是自第二次世界大战以来欧洲最突出的冲突，它在地理政治、经济、基础设施和健康等方面都有一定影响。这场战争对人类和地球都有严重的负面影响。工业和商业基础设施的破坏会污染水源，对人类和生态系统健康构成威胁。由于供水和卫生基础设施受到打击，水短缺和卫生条件恶化的情况已经很明显。由于部队的移动和不断的轰炸，空气质量也受到了不利影响。核设施发生辐射泄漏的可能性仍然存在。由于炮击和爆炸，土壤的物理、化学和生物特性受到了影响，因此农业受到了严重影响。军事行动造成了大规模的森林砍伐，甚至引发了野火。从长远来看，还存在生物多样性丧失和物种灭绝的风险。这种性质的战争可能会直接阻碍应对气候变化、可持续发展目标（SDGs）、保护和维护生物多样性以及在地方和全球层面控制污染等方面的努力。除此之外，这场战争对医疗保健、教育、社会保障和公共设施等基本服务的影响将持续很长时间。由于世界各地能源和原材料供应的重要中断，商品、石油和食品的价格大幅上涨。为了避免未来出现此类损害，并追究肇事者的责任，从长远来看，需要对国际刑事法院的任务进行改革，将环境犯罪包括在内。迫切需要制定新的国际规范，以在冲突期间保护环境。环境不应该被视为不可避免的战争牺牲品。环境和人类安全是不可分割的。国际社会对这场危机的反应必须包括将其作为优先事项来解决。
