World leaders insist Ukraine war must not derail climate action

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — World leaders took to the stage on the opening days of the U.N.’s flagship climate summit to insist Russia’s onslaught in Ukraine must not derail urgent and collective action to prevent catastrophic global heating.

In the run-up to the COP27 summit, which got underway on Sunday, it had been suggested that geopolitical crises, soaring inflation and a looming economic recession could distract policymakers from taking measures to avoid the worst effects of human-induced climate change.

World leaders on Monday and Tuesday convened in Egypt’s Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh to deliver national statements on the battle to secure a livable future.

“Climate security goes hand in hand with energy security,” U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said at the U.N.-brokered talks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “abhorrent war in Ukraine and rising energy prices across the world are not a reason to go slow on climate change. They are a reason to act faster,” Sunak said on Monday.

“Because diversifying our energy supplies by investing in renewables is precisely the way to insure ourselves against the risks of energy dependency.”

A flurry of major U.N. reports published in recent weeks delivered a bleak assessment of how close the planet is to irreversible climate breakdown, warning there is “no credible pathway” in place to cap global heating at 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The 1.5 degrees Celsius limit is the aspirational temperature threshold ascribed in the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement.

It is recognized as a crucial global target because beyond this level, so-called tipping points become more likely. These are thresholds at which small changes can lead to dramatic shifts in the Earth’s entire life support system.

“We will not sacrifice our climate commitments under the energy threat from Russia and therefore all of the commitments made by nations must be held,” French President Emmanuel Macron said from Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday.

He also talked about the need for “energy sobriety” to transition away from fossil fuels and said countries in the global north and south “must come to terms with the idea of financial solidarity.”