As Patricia Espinosa prepares to step down as U.N. climate chief, she has a warning for the world: Russia's invasion of Ukraine must not distract leaders from the escalating climate crisis.
Even as the war is causing "so much suffering", global warming remains the "most rapidly growing threat to human species on the planet", Espinosa told Reuters.
The European Union will publish plans on Tuesday to wean itself off Russian fossil fuels, for security reasons. Germany - Europe’s biggest economy - has also brought forward its shift to renewable power. Europe gets 40% of its gas from Russia. But climate analysts echoed Espinosa's hope that the geopolitical crisis will mark a pivot for global climate action.
Yet global CO2 emissions continue to climb. Promised funding from rich countries to help poorer nations fight climate change has not arrived. And the 1.1C of warming already seen has worsened weather extremes - from deadly heatwaves and downpours to catastrophic wildfires. A U.N. climate science report last week warned of escalating destruction if countries fail to slash emissions and prepare for a hotter planet.
Espinosa said she will focus her final months on urging more ambitious pledges ahead of the next U.N. climate summit, COP27, in Egypt in November.