82 lakh tonnes more carbon dioxide emissions from long routes, 1% jump due to Russia-Ukraine war

The war in Russia-Ukraine has been worse than World War II in 1945. Not only has it impacted social, economic, and healthcare services but carbon dioxide emitted by planes worldwide has increased by one percent in 2023 as planes have taken a detour to avoid Russian skies. This has been shown in new research by scientists associated with the University of Reading.

According to the study published in the journal Communications Earth and Environment, after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Western airlines were banned from flying over Russia. Due to this, they were forced to fly on longer routes between Europe, North America, and East Asia. This led to more fuel consumption. On average, 13 percent more fuel had to be used. Flights running between Europe and Asia were most affected by this. Fuel consumption in these increased by 14.8 percent. While flights between North America and Asia consumed 9.8 percent more fuel.

Apart from economic, societal, and health consequences, the environmental consequences of the Russia-Ukraine war are drastic as well. It has even long-term consequences for the ecosystem. There have been thousands of tons of explosions and fires in the Russia-Ukraine war that have produced drastic emissions in the environment. After the Russia-Ukraine war began, the forestry fire area increased by 45 times in 2024 from that of the year 2023. Due to that, approximately 180 million tonnes of emissions have occurred. Explosives of 1,20,789 and plane bombs of the year 1978 have even contaminated water and land.

Researcher Professor Nicolas Bellouin, associated with the study, says that after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, airlines had to change their routes. Due to this, flights between Western countries and East Asia decreased. Flights resumed over time, but they were forced to take longer distances than before to reach their destination. Due to the sanctions, they also had to fly over the south of Russia or the Arctic. This affected about 1,100 flights every day.

According to the study, the war has also severely affected the healthcare sector. Hundreds of clinical trials have been halted due to the war in Ukraine, disrupting treatment for patients and hindering research. According to a United Nations (UN) report, this number is about one-quarter of the population of Ukraine. These include about 6.5 million internally displaced persons and about 3.5 million refugees who have fled the country. The number of refugees has increased rapidly.