A F T E R T H E W A R
Ecological catastrophe - NATO Bombings in the Balkans
The strong possibility of an ecological catastrophe became apparent from the earliest days of the war.
By Dr. Janet Eaton
Scientific and environmental warnings echoed through cyberspace alerting viewers to the possible long-term eco-destruction of Yugoslavia, the entire Balkan region and to all of Europe.Scientific and environmental warnings echoed through cyberspace alerting viewers to the possible long-term eco-destruction of Yugoslavia, the entire Balkan region and to all of Europe.
Early on it became clear that the war was not confined to military targets as NATO had first indicated and as the rules of war should dictate. University of Ottawa professor, Michel Chossudovsky, revealed the extent of civilian damage in his Impacts of NATO's "Humanitarian" Bombings, The Balance Sheet of Destruction in Yugoslavia, posted April 11. Later, daily reports of civilian bombings in mainstream media left little doubt.
The full extent of Chossudovsky's balance sheet was spread out for full view with the Internet release of University of Belgrade Dr. Radoje Lausevic's comprehensive Overview of Ecological Consequences of NATO Bombing of Yugoslavia until May 20th.
While the destruction of civilian infrastructure fueled humanitarian concern, ecologically aware voices were most incensed by the bombing of industrial factories, refineries and warehouses. Included among the targets were the petrochemical facility in Pancevo, the oil refinery in Novi Sad, the pharmaceutical complex in Galenika and petroleum storage sites in Nis and Sombor, according to a June 3 report on Radio Free Europe Newsline.
In particular, the destruction on April 18 of the Pancevo Petrochemical Complex simultaneously unleashed toxic black clouds across the Balkans and shock waves of alarm from individuals in the region and an ecologically-concerned and humanitarian international community. Dr. Lausevic recorded the types and volumes of chemicals released in his comprehensive Overview report.
A June 29 press release announcing the release of the UN Interagency Needs Assessment Mission report noted that chemicals released during the destruction of Pancevo and other related so-called "accidents" pose a serious threat to health and ecological systems in the Balkans.
Much of the air and water pollution will, according to preliminary findings, settle into the soil through rainfall or leaching. News releases warned that the food chain will be contaminated and agriculture adversely affected. Milenko Vasovic, independent journalist from Belgrade, wrote in a June 30 release entitled Hiding Under Black Rain that rains north of the city had washed down the released vinyl chloride monomers, poisoning land, crops, grains and fruit. "I warn you that Serbia is one of the greatest sources of underground waters in Europe and that the contamination will be felt in the whole surrounding area all the way to the Black Sea," said Branko Jovanovic, a leader of the Yugoslav New Green Party in an April 7 Environmental News Service (ENS) release entitled Environment of Europe at Risk from NATO Bombing.
One week later, in the ENS news release End Eco-destruction,Yugoslav Scientists Plead, groundwater expert Momir Komatina said: "The pollution of water resources in the wide area of NATO bombing is not damaging just for our country but for the Balkans and a part of South Europe."
On May 7, the Worldwide Fund for Nature warned that an environmental crisis was looming in Yugoslavia, the Danube and the Black Sea, and that toxins could build up in the food chain and hinder the reproduction of some species.
Phillip Weller of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) warned that the situation downstream of Yugoslavia was dire wherein a toxic brew of oil, chlorine monomers and mercury had taken over the Danube threatening the Black Sea. Greece-based Alexandra Chiani, also of the WWF, reported that Serbia's wetlands are some of the very best and that the bombings have destroyed a whole web of life.
Ecological alarm grew with the stark realisation that dreaded depleted uranium (DU) weapons, used in the Gulf War with devastating health consequences, were being used by NATO against Yugoslavia. Dr. Rosalie Bertell, renowned humanitarian scientist and expert on low level radiation, noted: "Depleted uranium is worse than land mines and it will stay around for thousands of years after the war is over. It is incorporated into farmland; it can be picked up by vegetables; the shrapnel can be handled by children; it doesn't disappear; and because it's an aerosol it can travel as much as 50 to 60 kilometers from the point of release. This is chemical and radiological warfare - it's outrageous - it's a very serious violation of human rights."
Mikhail Gorbachev, President of Green Cross International, in a Guardian news release, said: "I believe that strikes against certain industries and infrastructure, such as ... chemical and petrochemical plants, must be prohibited. ... In my view, weapons containing depleted uranium should be among the first to be banned."
Landmines are planted throughout Kosovo and Serbia. Cluster bombs have littered the environment with unexploded mini-bombs raining down upon a hapless environment and populace. Fishermen in the Adriatic have also found unexploded mini-bombs in their nets, because NATO war planes discharge their unused cluster bombs in various approved locations.
