Ukraine announced plans to seek nearly $44 billion from Russia for climate-warming emissions linked to its ongoing war.
The unprecedented claim targets emissions from fossil fuels, cement, steel, and forest destruction caused by the conflict, officials said.
“A lot of damage was caused to water, land, and forests,” said Pavlo Kartashov, Ukraine’s deputy minister for economy and environment.
Kartashov added the war had produced vast additional CO2 emissions and greenhouse gases, complicating the country’s environmental recovery.
Dutch carbon expert Lennard de Klerk estimated the conflict generated roughly 237 million tons of CO2-equivalent emissions since February 2022.
This amount nearly equals the annual emissions of Ireland, Belgium, and Austria combined, highlighting the war’s extraordinary climate impact.
De Klerk explained Ukraine calculated the $44 billion figure using the social cost of carbon, estimated at $185 per ton in 2022.
Ukraine plans to submit the claim via a new Council of Europe compensation process, which already received 70,000 Ukrainian individual claims.
All claims, including those from companies and other legal entities, will be assessed and decided by a dedicated claims commission.
The source of potential compensation remains unclear, though de Klerk suggested frozen Russian assets could cover some or all of the damages.
A Russian delegation member at COP30 in Brazil declined to comment on Ukraine’s groundbreaking legal initiative or its financial implications.
