Ukraine proposes to introduce the term "ecocide" to denote Russian actions in Crimea

Ukrainian ecoactivists classify the events currently taking place on the Crimean peninsula as ecocide

In a comment for Espreso, eco-activist of NGO "Plato", representative of the Ukrainian Climate Network, Diana Popfalushi, who was a participant of the International Climate Conference, told the following:

"The Crimean Tatars presented a film about the impact of the Russian occupation on the Crimean peninsula and also raised the issue of ecocide. We call on the international community to introduce this term. Because it is not recorded in international legal terminology and, accordingly, there is no punishment for it," the ecoactivist explained.

At the conference in Egypt, she also participated in the organization of the event "Exposing the hidden connections of fashion brands with Russian oil during the war."  A study on the direct connection of fashion brands with Russian fossil fuels was presented there.

"Now the world's first war financed by fossil fuels is taking place. Russian oil and gas account for 40% of Russia's exports and about 50% of the Russian budget's revenues. Therefore, when we say that fossil fuels affect the climate, it used to be something far-fetched . And here we see a direct impact. Through the example of Ukraine, Europe and the USA are beginning to understand that fossil fuels not only destroy the environment, but also directly kill people," Diana Popfalushi added.

She is convinced that not only Ukraine, but also the whole world should gradually switch to renewable energy and abandon Russian oil and gas.  After all, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the European Union has paid Russia more than 100 billion euros for energy carriers, which the aggressors used for the destruction of the civilian population.

Reference. The international climate conference under the auspices of the UN was held for the 27th time.  It unites all countries that strive to fight the climate crisis.

The latest and most global agreement is the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015, which was signed by almost two hundred countries.  About half, including Ukraine, have already ratified it.  According to this agreement, countries undertake to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and thereby reduce the level of global warming.

For the first time in 27 years, Ukraine was represented at the conference by a separate pavilion, where 3-6 events were held every day.  This is how Ukraine presented itself and what is currently happening in our country.  Instead, the Russian delegation did not have a pavilion at the conference this year.