The Littlest Victim.
The Littlest Victim.
Statement By
Mikhail Gorbachev
President of the International Green Cross. April 24, 1999"
Green Cross International is expressing its strong concern with potential disastrous environmental impacts of the hostilities in Yugoslavia. The massive destruction of oil refineries, petrochemical plants, chemical and fertilizer factories, pharmaceutical plants, and other environmentally hazardous enterprises puts both the population and natural environment in the Balkans under clear threat. .
The destruction of Pancevo petrochemical plant, attacks against targets in the municipality of Grocka in close vicinity of the Vinca nuclear reactor, as well as in the municipality of Baric, where a large complex for the production of chloride is located, demonstrate that irreversible environmental catastrophe can happen any time.
There are also some reports that depleted uranium weapons, blamed for spiraling numbers of cancer and birth's defects in Iraq, are being used by NATO forces. There are indications that the pollution is crossing the Yugoslavian borders, and starts affecting other countries in the European region. It may also further aggravate the tragic refugee situation in the neighboring states.
Acute air pollution represents immediate danger. Release of toxic and carcinogenic substances, and particulate matters would seriously affect health of the people. Scientific reports are warning about dangerous air pollution spreading to other countries. Long range trans-boundary transfer of ash and benzo-a-pyrene from Yugoslavia to a number of other countries, including Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova is possible.
Another matter of serious concern is a significant emission of sulfur and nitrogenoxides, which could cause acid rains thus affecting agriculture and forestry in the region. In the short- and medium-term, heavy pollution of surface waters may be a serious danger.
Contamination of rivers would have negative consequences on the quality of drinking water, and badly damage freshwater ecosystems. Trans-boundary pollution of the river Danube is not excluded. Experts are also concerned with possible long-term regional impacts of environmental pollution caused by the hostilities in Yugoslavia.
One of most dangerous consequences is pollution of underground waters. The region is rich with underground water resources. These waters, lying at different depths, may easily spread oil, oil products, fuel, and chemical pollution to other countries in the region. Taking into account that the current hostilities in Yugoslavia may lead to far-reaching environmental consequences for many countries in Europe, Green Cross International wants to alert both public at large and relevant national and international agencies.
Regardless of political considerations the international community must act now. The high cost of environmental degradation (not just in dollar value, but also in the damage to our children's health) only gets more expensive when left unattended.
Green Cross international would be ready to participate in arranging a special mission to Yugoslavia, to make an evaluation of humanitarian and other implications of the environmental disaster. In this framework, Green Cross international basing on its experience in studying the environmental consequences of wars would be ready to provide an independent assessment of relevant environmental impacts. This could be done as soon as the current hostilities stop, and political conditions permit." Contact: M. Alexander Likhotal, Vice President Green Cross International