The pollution that outlives war

War causes more than immediate casualties and destruction. Pollution from attacks on energy infrastructure can spread over cities and settle in the environment, contaminating water and soil long after hostilities end. Burning fuel tanks release toxic particles into the air, while debris, run-off, and oil residues threaten coastal waters and marine ecosystems across the Gulf. Damage can persist for months or longer, as shown by the 1991 Gulf War oil fires in Kuwait, which produced dense smoke and widespread contamination. The UN Compensation Commission later treated much of that harm as compensable, with Iraq paying over $50bn for damage linked to oil fires, marine pollution, and ecosystem loss. Similar toxic legacies have been documented in Ukraine, including contamination from attacks on fuel depots, industrial sites, chemical warehouses, and energy infrastructure.

"Ukraine offers another terrifying example. The ongoing war has created a toxic legacy, with attacks on fuel depots, industrial sites, chemical warehouses and energy infrastructure contaminating air, rivers and farmland across large parts of the country. UN agencies and Ukrainian organisations have documented thousands of incidents of environmental harm since the invasion began, including fires at oil facilities, deforestation, contamination from damaged industrial sites, and widespread risks to water systems."

Read at www.aljazeera.com