The Environmental Cost of the Russia-Ukraine War

** Please note this is a closed-door session. If you are interested in attending, please contact Perry World House directly. 

During this session, we will discuss the ecological toll of the Russia-Ukraine war. The Initiative on Greenhouse Gas Accounting of War (IGGAW) estimates that the war has generated global heating emissions equivalent to 236 million tonnes of CO2, and the Ukrainian government puts the environmental damage at ~56 billion Euros.

Drawing from her work co-chairing the High-Level Working Group on the Environmental Consequences of the War, Margot will discuss recommendations for ensuring legal accountability through international mechanisms and the prosecution of the crime of ecocide.

She will explore strategies for Ukraine’s “green reconstruction,” focusing on how the country can build a sustainable economy through green recovery, environmentally sustainable finance, and the active engagement of civil society. This discussion will highlight how the Russia-Ukraine war is forcing a shift in global environmental policy around conflict, creating a blueprint to strengthen the legal and policy infrastructure for protecting the environment during wartime.

The special briefing will be held in the Perry World House conference room as part of our Climate Change Seminar offerings.

Speakers

Margot Wallström

Thakore Visiting Fellow

Perry World House

Margot Wallström is a Swedish politician from the Social Democratic Party with a long career at national, European, and international levels. She served as Sweden’s minister of foreign affairs between 2014 and 2019.

Margot Wallström was appointed the first United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict from 2010 to 2012. She worked as vice president of the European Commission and European Commissioner for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy from 2004 to 2010 and European Commissioner for the Environment from 1999 to 2004.

From 1988, she held several cabinet posts, first as deputy minister of civil affairs, minister of culture, and also minister of social affairs, an assignment she left after the 1998 election.

She was the CEO of a regional TV network in Värmland, Sweden, from 1993 to 1994. Before taking up her appointment as EU commissioner, she was the executive vice president of Worldview Global Media in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Mrs. Wallström has been awarded several honorary doctorates and international recognition and awards.