In this episode of the EarthRights podcast, Pippa is joined by Kate Liashchenko and Anastasia Laznya for a follow up conversation about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Expanding on the conversation EarthRights had with Kate in Feburary just days before the Russian invasion, Anastasiya, a Ukranian ecologist/marine biologist, discusses further issues that relate directly to the issues of human rights and the environment, such as the impact of the war on global energy production, food scarcity and environmental degradation.
Gas prices and food security
The war in Ukraine means "not only new food is in danger, but Ukrainian stocks of food are being deliberately targeted, mills and places where the food is stored are being targeted... Ukraine keeps around 3 years worth of food stored." (Anastasiya)
Regarding fossil fuels, "war is very bad for the environment, just without even looking at the impacts on the ground but the fuel and energy used to power all the heavy machinery, you can't even begin to think about it." (Anastasiya)
Other sides of the war in Ukraine
"What we overlook is how many sides war has = we think of two sides, two armies, tanks... but there are other sides, human suffering in different ways, how people will run out of food completely, air quality will diminish and focusing on environmental impacts helps us to stay calm in the face of the horrors published on the news." (Kate)