Today, September 20th, marks World Cleanup Day, which for the second consecutive year is an official UN Day. This year, the coordination center for World Cleanup Day, Let’s Do It World, is located in Kyiv to highlight the environmental damage caused by warfare.
According to Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is a stark example of war’s devastating impact on the environment. “The aggressor treats nature as a weapon, and the destruction caused may affect the surrounding environment for decades,” he emphasized. “Already, Russia’s war machine has significantly damaged Ukraine’s soil, air, and water bodies—poisoning ecosystems, causing health issues, and threatening the global food chain.”
The minister added that coordinating World Cleanup Day from Kyiv is a vital part of Ukraine’s reconstruction, drawing attention to the restoration of destroyed ecosystems and raising awareness of war’s long-term effects on nature. “By coordinating global cleanup efforts from Ukraine, we show the aggressor that the damage is temporary and that the international community stands united for Ukraine’s recovery, resilience, and environmental protection.”
Due to Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has become one of the world’s most ecologically endangered conflict zones. Since February 2022, over 8,700 environmental damages have been recorded, with estimated costs exceeding 100 billion US dollars. These figures reflect only measurable impacts—long-term ecological degradation, loss of biodiversity, and ecosystem collapse remain unquantified and worsen daily.
World Cleanup Day began in 2008 with Estonia’s first “Let’s Do It!” cleanup event. Since 2018, more than 114 million people from 211 countries and regions have participated in cleanup efforts, making it the world’s largest environmental movement. In 2023, the UN General Assembly officially declared September 20th as World Cleanup Day.
Everyone is invited to join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ cleanup event today at 11:00 AM at Kopliranna in Tallinn.
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