On February 7, upon organisers’ invitation, ARC expert Professor Borys Babin and PhD Anna Prikhodko participated online in the conference “Landscapes of War, Landscapes of Victory: Ukraine’s Changing Environment”, organised by Temerty Contemporary Ukraine Program in Harvard University.
During the conference Dr. Thammy Evans and Dr. Olga Khakova from Atlantic Council, also as Dr. Suresh Babu from International Food Policy Research Institute discussed issues of the geopolitical landscape, and aspects of ecocide and environmental crimes were highlighted by Dr. Anna Ackermann from International Institute for Sustainable Development, Dr. Darya Tsymbalyuk from University of Chicago, Dr. Jonathon Turnbull from University of Oxford and other speakers.
Conference participants addressed how Ukrainians are being denied their right to build and rebuild a safe environment due to Russia’s continued aggression, with mentioning issues of Russian occupation of the Crimea and relevant challenges for sustainable development of indigenous Crimean Tatar people.
Academicians stressed on the negative environmental impact of the occupation of Crimea and Donetsk and Luhansk regions after 2014, and that the expansion of the war has only exacerbated long-term consequences in the Black Sea and Ukraine’s other waterways.
In the framework of relevant discussion Professor Babin informed participants about publications of ARC’s experts about ecocide qualification issues and initiated exchange of opinions regarding the possibility of proceeding the ecocide cases, related with Russia’s crimes in Ukraine, by third countries in the framework of universal jurisdiction concept.
