The undermining of the Kakhovska HPP dam is not only one of the biggest ecological and humanitarian disasters in the east of Europe that led to the flooding of vast territories and many settlements but is, in fact, the biggest crime against food security in the world:
The Kakhov reservoir was the heart of one of the largest irrigation systems in Europe. It was the southern regions of Ukraine that supplied the countries of the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Europe with wheat, corn, sunflower and sunflower oil, soybeans, and soybean meal. We call on everyone who cares about the fate of our planet and the environment, who declares their status as environmentalists and defines nature protection activities as their goals — to take all possible measures to record these violations, bring the culprits to justice, and make it impossible to commit such barbarism in the future.
The world and our planet will face catastrophic consequences if you choose inaction!
The consequences are:
- The impossibility of taking water necessary for cooling the Zaporizhzhya NPP, which outcomes in a threat to the nuclear safety of the world;
- Mass death of aquatic organisms (fish, mollusks, crustaceans, microorganisms, aquatic vegetation) with further disturbance of their habitat, including birds and other amphibians and animals;
- Significant risks for rodent populations, in particular, endemic species and those listed in the Red Book of Ukraine;
- Disturbance of the habitats of plant complexes;
- Negative impact on water areas, coastal areas, and the land part of three Ukrainian national nature parks
- “Nizhnyodniprovskyi”, “Kamyanska Sichi”, “Biloberezhya Svyatoslav”, Black Sea Biosphere Reserve (this territory also has the status of a UNESCO biosphere reserve), Regional landscape park “Kinburnska Kosa” and numerous objects of the nature reserve fund with smaller areas. All these territories also have the status of Wetlands of international importance, protected by the Ramsar Convention, and are also territories of the Emerald Network, protected by the Berne Convention;
- The pollution of the waters of the Dnipro and the Black Sea — primary pollution due to the ingress of fuel and lubricant materials into the waters, washing away of garbage, agrochemicals, and other dangerous materials, flooding, and failure of sewage treatment systems, sewage, and so-called “secondary pollution” — A leaching, transfer of mines and other explosive substances, increase in mine danger;
These are only a few major aftermaths to come.
The criminal actions of russia on the following points:
The violation of the provision of Article 3. 35 of Chapter I, Part III of the Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949, Concerning the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts Regarding the Prohibition of Methods or Means of Conduct of Military Actions Which Are Intended to Cause or Can Be Expected to Cause Widespread, Long-Term, and Serious Damage natural environment.
Such barbaric actions of the Russian Federation violate the basic principles and ideas that the civilized world developed for decades and enshrined in a number of international agreements, for example, in such as the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, Mainly as a Habitat for Waterfowl and the Convention on the protection of wild flora and fauna and natural habitats in Europe.
Such actions of the enemy once again demonstrate to the world community the absolute leveling of the Russian Federation against international norms, standards, and rules.
Such criminal actions of the Russian military definitely and completely fall under the criminal law qualification under Art. 8 (2) (b) (iv) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Source: @igorlachenkov on Twitter (You can see it with videos above.)
Please feel free to repost Igor’s thread and tag ecological, environmental, and nature-protecting organizations who can (and should, actually, because it’s their job!) help but keep silent now, still wondering “Who could have done it” or who are “deeply concerned” like United Nations and others.
Here go some organizations you can address:
- @IUCN
- Conservation Intl
- @nature_org
- @FoEint
- Earthwatch
- @TheWSC
- Sierra Club
- @EnvDefenseFund
- NRDC
- @globalwild_cc
- World Resources Institute
- @conservationall
- @CenterForBioDiv
- @ifawglobal
- @earthjustice
- @UCSUSA
- @savingoceans
- @earthisland
- @intlrivers
- @oceana
- @FaunaFloraInt
- @EIA_News
- GEF
- @wspa
- UNESCO
Oh, and where’s our world savior Greta Thunberg, by the way?
When the time has come to act, not speak and yell “How dare you,” but stop the crimes and prevent them, most appeared impotent. Do we need a world like this, where all human values are written and spoken but not followed? Do we need organizations that take money but don’t act when disasters, wars, genocides, and ecocides happen?
I hope the human race still deserves and is still worth living on this planet.
UPD:
Twelve hours after the publication of this article and President Zelensky’s online meeting with representatives of around 60 eco-organizations, including Greta, reports condemning Russia’s ecocide in Ukraine began to appear (finally!).
Still, speaking is not acting. So, hoping (again!) for active measures instead of deep concerns on social media.
