Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UNEP = United Nations Environment Program, responded to an exclusive interview with NHK, saying that serious environmental pollution such as water and soil is spreading in Ukraine due to violent bombings by the Russian military, and expressed serious concerns. rice field.
Secretary-General Andersen, who came to Japan, responded to an NHK interview in Tokyo.
Regarding environmental pollution in Ukraine, where Russia's military aggression continues, Director-General Andersen said, "Violent bombings on factories and power plants have released harmful substances, polluting the surrounding soil, groundwater, and air. He expressed serious concern, saying, "It will have serious effects, including on human health, over the long term."
In addition, he expressed his expectations, saying, "Japan has high technological capabilities in the environmental field and can make a great contribution to the recovery and reconstruction of the Ukrainian people."
On the other hand, he also expressed concern about the growing movement to restart old coal-fired power plants in various countries, as the supply of natural gas from Russia to Europe has decreased and there are concerns about energy shortages ahead of winter. "We must not go backwards. Countries must accelerate investment in renewable energy as a countermeasure against climate change," he said.
“Past wars have shown that it takes decades to eliminate the environmental effects of war,” Andersen said. “We must end the fighting in Ukraine as soon as possible. ' said.