The signiﬁcance of the ukrainian «Рeace formula» for environmental protection and combating climate change
Authors: Pavko Yana 
Published: January 2025

Introduction. The armed invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has had terrible consequences not only for the population and infrastructure, but also for the environment. It is no coincidence that the environment is called a silent victim of war, requiring special comprehensive legal protection. Our future depends on preserving the environment. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, the environmental damage caused by Russiaʼs full-scale military operations amounts to $57 billion.

More than half of this amount of environmental damage is due to air pollution from forest fires, missile attacks, and the burning of oil products. In addition, more than 1.2 million tonnes of harmful emissions were released into the atmosphere, contributing to the global climate crisis. To date, more than 265 war crimes against the environment and 14 cases of ecocide have been recorded. The aggressor state must be held accountable for all these actions, which destroy Ukrainian ecosystems and cause climate change, in accordance with the norms and principles of international law. That is why the President of Ukraine V. Zelenskyy proposed the «Peace Formula», a plan to end the war, with a separate clause aimed at preserving the Ukrainian environment and bringing Russia to international responsibility for environmental crimes committed during the international armed conflict.

The aim of the article. The purpose of this article is to define the peculiarities of the Ukrainian «Peace Formula» implementation in the context of environmental protection and counteracting climate change.

Results. The President of Ukraine V. Zelenskyy presented the «Peace Formula», the environmental component of which was embodied in paragraph 8. The «Peace Formula» focuses on three main areas of ensuring environmental safety and counteracting the environmental consequences of war. Firstly, it is an assessment of the environmental damage caused, including the impact on human health and biodiversity. Secondly, it is a thorough preparation of the evidence base and finding ways to bring the aggressor state to international responsibility for environmental damage. Third, it is the protection, preservation and restoration of the environment as part of the transition to a «green» economy. The restoration of the Ukrainian environment should include such measures as: land reclamation and demining; revival of destroyed forests and nature reserves; water purification; creation of new national parks and protected areas, etc.

According to V. Zelenskyy, the «Peace Formula» is a platform not only for a just end to Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine. It can become a universal basis for ending other military conflicts in the world and overcoming global problems. Russiaʼs armed aggression against our country poses numerous challenges to all of humanity — from the threat of a nuclear catastrophe and undermining food security to the intensification of anthropogenic climate change factors. The International Working Group on the Environmental Consequences of War reaﬃrms its readiness to work in the key areas, identified in paragraph 8 of the «Peace Formula», despite the existing gaps.

Over the next year, it plans to promote its recommendations for Ukraineʼs transition to a greener future, protecting its environment and achieving justice for environmental damage. During the international forum «United for Justice. United for Nature», the Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine

R. Strilets presented the International Environmental Declaration. It should help develop common tools for all states to assess environmental damage and bring any aggressor state to international responsibility. According to the minister, the Environmental Declaration should enshrine the legal status of the Global Platform for Assessing the Damage Caused to the Climate and Environment by Military Actions. It is worth reminding that V. Zelenskyy announced the need for its creation at the 27th UN Climate Change Conference in 2022. This initiative is reflected in paragraph 8 of the Ukrainian «Peace Formula».

Conclusions. The «Peace Formula» is an important initiative of the President of Ukraine V. Zelenskyy aimed at ending the Russian-Ukrainian war by combining joint eﬀorts of states to protect and preserve the environment, prevent ecocide during hostilities, and combat climate change. It drew the international communityʼs special attention to the extent of the damage to the Ukrainian environment and climate that must be eliminated and compensated by the aggressor state. Together with our international partners, our country continues to work on the implementation of paragraph 8 of the «Peace Formula».

In order to implement the environmental component of the «formula», Ukraine developed the Environmental Declaration, which was first presented at the International Forum «United for Justice. United for Nature» and later at the 28th UN Climate Change Conference. This document should become the basis for intergovernmental cooperation in the field of environmental protection and combating climate change in the context of Russiaʼs armed aggression against Ukraine. Its positive assessment by the international community shows that our country is moving in the right direction on the path to restoring environmental justice. The «Peace Formula» should become a driving force for fundamental changes in environmental protection during international armed conflicts.

Key words: war crimes, environmental damage, ecocide, climate crisis, UN Climate Change Conference, international responsibility, post-war environmental restoration.