‘It’s not possible because there’s real danger for me and my family,’ says head of delegation.
Ukraine’s delegation withdrew from the IPCC online negotiations as it was forced to hide in bomb shelters | John Macdougall/AFP via Getty Images
BY ZIA WEISE AND KARL MATHIESEN
February 25, 2022
Russia’s invasion has forced Ukraine’s top climate experts to exit a global scientific meeting finalizing a major report on the impacts of global warming.
Delegates were in the final days of a two-week negotiation on the wording of a summary of an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) investigation — due for release on February 28 — into the impacts of climate change on societies and ecosystems around the planet.
But Ukraine’s delegation has had to withdraw from the online negotiations as its members were forced to hide in bomb shelters.
Svitlana Krakovska, a climate scientist who heads the Ukrainian delegation, said she informed the IPCC they had to withdraw on Thursday, in part due to a lack of internet access.
“We have some delegates from other cities, not only Kyiv, and they were forced to go to shelters,” she said. “But most important is that it’s very difficult to think about climate change impacts when you have impacts of Russian missiles in our Kyiv, and tanks everywhere.”
Krakovska, who lives in the Ukrainian capital with her four children, said she tried to continue working.
“But then I just realized that it's not possible because there’s real danger for me and my family, and all our delegates,” she said.
This latest cycle of IPCC reports marks the first time Ukrainians are involved as lead authors, so withdrawing now felt “not fair,” she said.
It was also bitter for Krakovska to consider that, in her mind, the drivers of the war and climate change were the same.
“There’s this connection … all the money for this aggression comes from oil, from fossil fuels. The more we use this, the more we sponsor this aggression,” she said.
Meanwhile, Russian climate diplomats have used the meeting to downplay the warnings of the IPCC report.
According to two people with knowledge of the process, Russia's delegates have repeatedly tried to insert mentions of the benefits of global warming, including new opportunities for resource extraction and shipping, and positive impacts on agriculture in Russia’s Arctic areas.
Russia's pushback is not unusual compared to past behavior at the IPCC. But one person involved in the negotiations said: “What we saw was a much more concerted effort. That seems to be much more politically driven to emphasize these opportunities."
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request for comment.
In an open letter on Tuesday, around 650 Russian scientists — including dozens from the government-chartered Russian Academy of Sciences — condemned the war and said the invasion has turned Russia into a “pariah,” with consequences for the pursuit of knowledge in that country.
“After all, conducting scientific research is unthinkable without full cooperation with colleagues from other countries. The isolation of Russia from the world means further cultural and technological degradation of our country in the complete absence of positive prospects. War with Ukraine is a step to nowhere,” the letter said.
The IPCC reports, which are published roughly every seven years, are the authoritative summary of the state of climate science and are designed to help guide public policy.
Negotiations at the IPCC are expected to wrap up on Friday, but were only 55 percent completed at the time of publication. Delegates said they expected talks to run over.
First climate risk insurance payout in Mali helps WFP provide early response to climate-affected families
With a population already struggling with the effects of persistent conflicts, political instability, and the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19, this first-ever climate risk insurance payment in Mali will help WFP provide emergency and resilience-building support in a timely manner to those most vulnerable to climate extremes from March to May 2022. WFP’s response will complement that of the Government of Mali which will also receive insurance compensation from ARC-Replica for climate shocks. Both WFP and government response plans have been prepared jointly and will be implemented in a coordinated manner to achieve impactful results
"The impact of poor rains is clearly visible in affected communities and could prove devastating for many families. Cereal production has decreased, and pasture and water for livestock has shrunk, forcing people to sell off their livestock” said Sally Haydock, WFP’s Country Director and Representative.
“This payout comes at a vital time - helping families adapt to most severe impacts of climate change and preserve their livelihoods” she added.
WFP’s support will complement the Government of Mali’s response which will also receive insurance compensation from ARC-Replica for climate shocks. Both WFP and government response plans have been prepared jointly and will be implemented in a coordinated manner to achieve impactful results.
In 2021, Mali experienced the most severe lack of rains in five years caused by periodic dry spells and low rainfall, all of which have compromised the country's agricultural output, putting 1.9 million people across the country at risk of severe food insecurity - mostly in the regions of Kayes, Gao, Mopti, Segou, and Timbuktu.
"ARC Replica is a valuable programme that complements and supports the efforts of the Malian Government in the fight against food insecurity and malnutrition. The government strategy is to provide half rations to populations in food crisis situations to contribute to national solidarity. Our common interest is to always work together to relieve the populations affected by drought and strengthen their resilience to climate shocks, with innovative solutions such as those offered by the ARC mutual insurance company," affirmed Mrs. DICKO Bassa Diane, Deputy Minister Commissioner of the Food security council.
With this climate insurance payment, WFP will provide early food assistance through cash transfers to 161,000 women, men and children affected by climate shocks. Over 20,000 children aged from 6 to 23 months, and pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers will receive nutritional support and services. To reinforce communities’ resilience to climate shocks, 23,000 people will benefit from community asset building programmes such as pastoral wells, water towers and fishponds that will help diversify their production and livelihoods and reduce the impact of future rains deficiencies.
Established to help governments improve their capacities to plan, prepare and respond to natural disasters caused by extreme weather events, ARC-replica is an innovative approach to climate risk management which allows countries - like Mali - to extend their climate insurance coverage to more vulnerable people in their countries.
As an ARC-Replica technical partner, WFP uses the ARC insurance funds to improve its emergency and resilience-building response as it offers more flexibility for early emergency response than regular humanitarian funding systems. In collaboration with ARC, WFP will continue strengthening the technical and operational capacities of the Government of Mali in managing and preventing food insecurity and malnutrition caused by climate shocks.
In Mali, WFP has been subscribing to the climate insurance policy since 2017 to finance early response in case of drought. In 2021, WFP’s insurance premium was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Government of Germany.
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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change
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