The biggest “ecocide” in history unfolds as Russia rolls out diabolical weapons and measures specifically designed to destroy Ukraine’s environment. Where are the world’s environmentalists, or climate change politicians who cloak themselves in “green causes” to win votes? Where is the outrage at the fact that Russian planes, or artillery, scatter landmines called “little petals” that have contaminated nearly one-third of Ukraine’s land and forests, equivalent in size to Austria and Hungary. It will take years and billions to de-mine the country and until that’s accomplished hundreds of thousands of people and animals will be injured or killed. “Scattered from aircraft or delivered by mortars, the ‘petals’ spin through the air, bite into the earth and explode upon contact with as little as five kilograms of weight. Hectare by hectare, Russia’s invasion turns barren the country which contains almost a quarter of the world’s chornozem, a highly fertile soil. Even after the contaminants are removed, the toxins they release will affect the fields’ fertility for years,” wrote Dr. Sasha Dovzhyk, a researcher with the Ukrainian Institute. At a recent conference in New York she added “ecocide is now a tool of war”.
© 2024 Diane Francis
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