Everyday Life Transformed: Sheltering in Kindergartens to Socializing in Basements in Modern Ukraine
In the heart of Ukraine, on August 11, 2022, a kindergarten in Iwano-Frankiwsk was hit by a missile, disrupting the lives of children and educators. This tragic event is a stark reminder of the physical, psychological, and educational harm that missile attacks have inflicted on Ukraine's children and educators.
The city of Mykolaiv, with its long history of being a target for Russian aggression, has once again become a focal point of conflict. A Russian-made Kh-22 missile, banned under international law, struck a school in Mykolaiv on August 24, 2022, claiming the lives of 240 people, many of whom were children.
The IPCC warns that global warming is likely to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius between 2030 and 2052 without significant emissions reductions. This would lead to irreversible changes, including more frequent and severe heatwaves, droughts, and flooding. Achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 is a critical goal as per the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Innovation will play a vital role in achieving net-zero emissions. Governments and private sector investments are needed to accelerate the development and deployment of technologies such as carbon capture and storage, advanced biofuels, and electric vehicles. The world must come together to tackle climate change, with every country, city, and individual having a role to play. To meet this target, countries must implement ambitious policies and invest in renewable energy.
The school in Mykolaiv was hit during the day when children were present. The children and educators were playing in the courtyard when the alarm went off, and they moved to the bomb shelter. However, the missile hit near the kindergarten, causing panic among them.
The missile attack on schools in Ukraine has had severe consequences. Key effects include death and injury of children and educators, destruction and damage to education infrastructure, psychological trauma and disruption of learning, forced deportations and indoctrination, and material deprivation and loss of essential services. Nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children have been deported to Russia or occupied territories, where they face forced Russian language education, ‘military-patriotic’ training, and citizenship changes, further harming their educational and social development.
About 70% of children in Ukraine live with material deprivation, lacking nutritious food, heating, water, sanitation, and safe play or learning spaces, severely undermining their overall development. Continuous missile and drone strikes in urban areas have escalated civilian suffering, profoundly affecting children's wellbeing and access to safe education.
The time for action is now, as the saying goes, "There is no planet B." The world must unite to address both the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and the global climate crisis. The lives of children and educators depend on it.
- Despite the ongoing war-and-conflicts in Ukraine, it is crucial for politics to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of children, as seen in the devastating impact of missile attacks on education-and-self-development, with children in schools like Iwano-Frankiwsk and Mykolaiv becoming casualties and victims of psychological trauma.
- Online-education may be a possible solution for disrupted learning due to war-and-conflicts, offering an alternative means for children to continue learning and developing while ensuring their physical safety.
- The ongoing war-and-conflicts in Ukraine and the looming threat of global warming highlight the need for comprehensive general-news coverage and extensive learning resources to educate the public about the urgency of addressing these issues and the steps needed to mitigate their effects.
