42 billion dollars – this is the climate damage caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine
3 March 09:42
During the third year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, greenhouse gas emissions due to the war increased by about 30% compared to 2023. This is evidenced by a study conducted by the Initiative for Accounting for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the War, the NGO Center for Environmental Initiatives “Ecodia” with the support of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine, reports
According to the study, greenhouse gas emissions over three years are estimated at 230 million tons of CO2 equivalent. This is equal to the annual emissions of Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia combined, or the annual emissions of 120 million cars.
Experts emphasize that it is Russia that should be held responsible for greenhouse gas emissions and climate change caused by its aggression.
“Russia started the war and it should be held responsible for these greenhouse gas emissions,” said Lennard de Klerk, the report’s lead author.
Among the main factors that caused such significant climate damage are active hostilities, the use of heavy machinery and artillery, and massive attacks on energy infrastructure.
To assess liability, the so-called “social cost of carbon” was used, which is $185 per ton of CO2 equivalent. Thus, applying this formula, the total amount of climate damage caused by Russia during the full-scale invasion is estimated at more than 42 billion dollars.
The authors of the study emphasize that this report is groundbreaking in the global context, as no country has ever conducted such a comprehensive assessment of the war’s impact on the climate.
$170 billion – this is the total amount of direct losses from Russia’s war
Ukraine’s housing stock, transportation infrastructure, and energy sector suffered the greatest losses as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion. This is stated in the Damage Assessment conducted by the analytical team of the Kyiv School of Economics in cooperation with the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine and the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, and in cooperation with other relevant ministries and the National Bank of Ukraine.
The total amount of direct damage caused to Ukraine’s infrastructure as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion has reached almost $170 billion. Compared to the beginning of 2024, this figure has increased by $12.6 billion, which is the result of further destruction due to missile attacks and hostilities.
The residential sector remains the most affected, with direct losses estimated at $60 billion. As of November 2024, 236,000 residential buildings were damaged or destroyed. Regionally, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Kherson regions suffered the most damage.
The transportation infrastructure suffered significant damage, amounting to $38.5 billion.
