The Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Ruslan Strelets stated that the destruction of the Ukrainian environment will affect the nature of the whole world, because all ecosystems are connected.
He stated this during a speech at the conference "All change? What is happening with EU environmental policy during the crisis" in the framework of the Green Week of the EU-2022 (Green Week 2022) in Brussels, according to Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine.
The shooter visited Green Week 2022 at the invitation of the European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginia Sinkevičius.
EU Green Week is an annual event where politicians, environmentalists and various stakeholders from Europe and other continents discuss European environmental policy. Green Week 2022 focuses on the European Green Course.
At the opening of Green Week 2022, participants discussed the difficult situation in environmental policy in the current environment, including the impact of the war on the environment and post-war reconstruction, the EU's energy balance and access to critical raw materials.
"The war in Ukraine is not just a loss to our environment, because all ecosystems are connected. And if Russian missiles fly over our nuclear power plants, it is a problem of the whole world. Oil that gets into our rivers as a result of Russian bombing of our gas stations is "Chemicals in our soils are a problem of the whole world. The burning of forests by Russians in Ukraine is a problem of the whole world. Therefore, the legal front during the war is important not only for us, Ukrainians, but also for the future of civilization," he said. Strelets.
He also spoke about the state of Ukraine's environment as a result of Russian aggression and the work of the operational headquarters, which 24/7 documents every crime of the occupiers against nature and the preparation of lawsuits in international courts to obtain compensation from Ukraine for nature destruction.
In addition, he stressed the importance of uniting world powers that are interested in nature conservation and their assistance to Ukraine in the fight for compensation from Russia for environmental damage.
"Russia must pay dearly for what it has done. Everyone must understand how expensive the war is not only for the attacked state, but also for the aggressor. To ignore this now means to allow similar scenarios in the future," Ruslan Strelets said.
European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginius Sinkevicius stressed that the EU and Ukraine are united, so the European Commission will continue to support the fight against the aggressor.
We will remind, Ukraine called on the OSCE to promote the end of the war and the responsibility of the Russian Federation.
As EcoPolitics reported earlier, environmentalists called 10 main steps to the creation of a state with a green economy.
