YOUTH AWARENESS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE WAR OF RUSSIA AGAINST UKRAINE

Abstract

The full-scale invasion of the russian federation into Ukraine since February 24, 2022 caused and continues to cause enormous damage not only to people and the infrastructure of settlements where hostilities continue, but also to the surrounding natural environment of Ukraine and neighboring countries and the climate of the Earth. These detrimental effects on the environment will not only have short-term but also long-term effects. Therefore, it is an important moment for the population to be aware of the harmful impact of the results of hostilities on the ecological state of our country, because it will contribute to the faster restoration of the natural environment after the end of the war. A survey of students of various fields of training was conducted regarding their awareness and perception of the environmental consequences of the war in Ukraine. The vast majority of students indicate that the war first of all had a negative effect on their psychological state, but some students claim that the war did not affect them in any way. The students named the possibility of radioactive contamination of the territory of Ukraine as a result of the possible shelling of the Zaporizhzhіa NPP, as well as the mining of a significant territory of our country, as critical consequences of the war. Students underestimate the harmful effects of atmospheric air pollution, although, according to monitoring data, the calculated damages from air pollution significantly outweigh all other damages. Most of the surveyed students believe that informing the population about the environmental consequences of the war is insufficient. Therefore, it is important to supplement an effective system of monitoring the state of the environment, which would allow recording the actual amount of damage to the environment, by increasing the level of awareness of the population of the real ecological state in order to introduce the most effective measures to avoid further deterioration of the situation and restore ecosystems to a safe state for humans and wild nature.