Wim Zwijnenburg Profile picture
Dec 22, 2022 7 tweets 5 min read Read on X
📢Russia's targeting of energy infrastructure in #Ukraine is displacing millions of people, while also worsening conflict-pollution. Today we launch a new Environment & Conflict Alert, with support of @UNEP and @Cen4infoRes. A small 🧵1/x

paxforpeace.nl/what-we-do/pub…
Over the course of the last 10 months, we noted 213 reported incidents of strikes against thermal, hydro, nuclear and solar energy facilities in #Ukraine. We could verify 63 of those incidents with satellite images that observed damage to these facilities. 2/X
Throughout the country strikes against, and occupation of power plants severely impacted the lives and livelihoods of Ukrainian civilians, while also posing serious risks to their #environment from a range of pollutants or services depending on energy supplies. 3/x
In particular the situation at #Zaporizhzhya, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, became dire with a risk of a meltdown as energy infrastructure to cool the nuclear rods was damaged after being bombed, and it had to resort of emergency diesel generators 4/x
Other power plants are storing large amount of hazardous and toxic substances such as heavy fuel oil or PCBs, that could pose acute and long-term environmental health risks. For example, here we see a large oil spill at the Vuhleriksa TPP after intense Russian shelling 5/x
In Donbas, the extractive mining industry is depending on energy for its operations to pump out contaminated mine waters and prevent them from flooding. Absence of power supply could lead to severe regional pollution risks 6/x tearline.mil/public_page/en…
As winter has arrived, Ukrainian civilians face the cold and darkness by Russian aggression that specifically aims to impact their lives and the environment they depend on. Read our full @paxforpeace analysis and recommendations for green recovery here: paxforpeace.nl/what-we-do/pub…

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More from @wammezz

Aug 7
Fighting continues in the heavily industrialized #Donbass region of #Ukraine around the town of Novogorodske, or better know as 'New York', hosting a massive phenol chemical plant that is posing a huge environmental risk. A short thread: 1/x Image
The chemical plant is producing phenol, a flammable, highly corrosive chemical. The site itself hosted large quantities prior to the invasion, while toxic waste is stored in three nearby ponds. We flagged these risks in this 2017 @bellingcat piece 2/x

bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-eu…
The location faced shelling and destruction since 2014, already resulting in fires at the toxic waste pond. We visited the location with @3Bergen in 2018 where the operator and nearby civilians shared the concerns over a massive chemical incidents from shelling 3/x

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Read 9 tweets
Jul 19
The war is turning #Gaza into rotting garbage dumpsite as the destruction continues. We have launched a new report drawing on satellite imagery and #OSINT to visualize the scale the of solid waste and linked public health crisis. A small thread 1/x 🧵
paxforpeace.nl/news/war-torn-…

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Prior to Oct 7, the #Gaza Strip was already facing enormous problems with solid waste management, despite initiatives by the @WorldBank to construct safe landfills. Illegal waste dumps and waste fires contributed to environmental stressors for nearby communities 2/x
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The destruction and massive displacement since the start of Israel's military campaign caused a massive garbage crisis: waste management collapsed, vehicles destroyed, official landfills closed and waste pilling up in the streets from October onward. 3/x
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Read 12 tweets
Dec 18, 2023
The devastation brought upon #Gaza's urban and rural environment by Israel after the brutal Hamas attacks is making large parts uninhabitable, a new @PAXforpeace
report shows. The massive damage is also posing long-term public health risks. A thread: 1/x paxforpeace.nl/news/israels-b…
The wide-scale destruction of urban areas is creating millions of tons of conflict-rubble, often mixed with toxic waste, and damaged hazardous facilities posing extra public and env health risks. We used @unosat
/@JamonVDH/@coreymaps data for damage, and #OSINT for facilities 2/x Image
Hundreds of types of water facilities have been damaged/ destroyed, worsening public health risks. Throughout #Gaza water wells, desalination plants, pumping systems are affected, while it was already struggling water shortage prior to the escalation 3/x Image
Read 8 tweets
Oct 26, 2023
The level of urban destruction by the use of #explosiveweapons in populated areas such as #Gaza is significant. Beyond the civilians casualties, this also leaves millions of tons of rubble, posing additional environmental health risks. New @Maxar img from Oct 21, Al Karameh 1/x
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Here the damage at Beit Hanoun in northern #Gaza showing a complete neighborhood being almost completely demolished from bombardments 2/x
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And here at Atatra in northern #Gaza with complete buildings collapsed from airstrikes. Building materials often contain hazardous materials and debris often mixed with industrial or other types of hazardous waste and UXOs 3/x
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Read 4 tweets
Jun 13, 2023
And toxic ghost from the past appears as DoD approvs #depleteduranium export to Ukraine: despite US overstating the case, the use of DU would only complicate conflict-pollution in #Ukraine and counters the global norm against its use 1/x
wsj.com/articles/u-s-s…
What past wars showed was that DU was not decisive. In the Gulf Wars, most tanks were destroyed with Hellfires and Maverick missiles. Tungsten rounds still are able to destroy Russian tanks, and DU was no silver bullet. 2/x wise-uranium.org/pdf/dumyths.pdf Image
What our @PAXforpeace research in #Iraq found was that the US was uninterested in clean-up and remediation of DU and contaminated materials, putting civilians at risk of exposure, in particular children playing on tanks and scrapmetal workers. 3/x paxforpeace.nl/wp-content/upl… Image
Read 7 tweets
Jun 11, 2023
Open question with regard to the #Kakhovka flood impacts is to what kinds of pollutants were present on industrial locations that were swept away and create additional pollution risks. One example is the Kherson Oil Depot, southwest of the city 1/x Image
Another area of concerns is the industrial area south, hosting various construction facilities that are storing different types of hazardous substances. Satellite imagery by @planet indicates there are pollutants in the water 2/x Image
South of the city is the shipyard, which usually stores a range of hazardous substances including different types of oil, LPG, solvents and and cleaning agents. Some ships also were swept away or capsized by the flooding 3/x Image
Read 6 tweets

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