The war is “destroying the world’s ability to work together for a common goal,” the Ukrainian president told world leaders on camera during the COP27 climate summit. “There can be no effective climate policy without peace on Earth” if nations are too busy “thinking only about how to protect themselves here and now from their threats,” he argued. Pakistan makes emotional appeal – COP latest Russia’s war and natural gas cuts have sent prices skyrocketing, prompting countries such as the UK, Germany, India and Pakistan to burn more coal – the dirtiest fossil fuel – to keep the lights on . On Monday, the Russian delegation told Sky News that an energy crisis lay ahead of its “special operation” in Ukraine. During the United Nations climate talks, many leaders issued warnings about how the war threatens global climate action, turning countries inward and distracting from the cooperation needed to tackling the crisis. Connecting the dots between interrelated threats, the food crisis triggered by the war “hit hardest those countries suffering from the existing manifestations of climate change, catastrophic droughts and large-scale floods”, Mr Zelenskyy added. Egypt, hosting the climate talks in Sharm el-Sheikh on the Red Sea, illustrates this relationship. The world’s largest importer of wheat, which used to make its staple bread, was left reeling when the war cut off grain exports. Climate change is slowly eating away at its limited fertile land, as the Nile River dries up and salt from rising seas poisons the Nile Delta. Image: COP27 takes place in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh “Tax Fossil Fuel Companies Enjoying War Profits” The second day of the annual two-week summit, taking place under a scorching sun with a temperature of 29C, was dominated by demands from vulnerable countries to help slow the climate crisis. Some want the world to deal with climate change the way it does nuclear weapons, by agreeing to a non-proliferation treaty that halts further fossil fuel production. “We all know that the main cause of the climate crisis is fossil fuels,” Kausea Natano, Tuvalu’s prime minister, told fellow leaders, joining Vanuatu. “It’s very hot and it’s long [little] time to slow and reverse the rising temperature. Therefore, it is necessary to prioritize rapid action strategies.’ Those living on islands, particularly vulnerable to sea level rise, want a global tax on the windfall, additional billions in profits enjoyed by fossil fuel companies as a result of Russia’s war. “While they benefit, the planet burns,” said Gaston Brown, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, speaking on behalf of several island nations. Suppression of greenwashing Elsewhere in the vast space of buildings and temporary structures, with the odd palm tree and long queues for coffee, UN chief Antonio Guterres hit out at the “cheating” of fossil fuel companies with net zero commitments that continue to expand their operations. The Secretary-General wants a crackdown on greenwashing and loopholes in net zero commitments. But the word on everyone’s lips is money. The issue that could make or break the talks is paying for climate “loss and damage,” those irreversible impacts that are beyond the realms of human adaptation, such as the death of its coral reef. Egypt and its huge tourism industry if the seas overheat. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 3:37 Climate change: What is loss and damage? Barbados Prime Minister Mia Motley said fossil fuel companies should contribute to these funds, which would provide vulnerable countries with financial assistance for climate-related losses. The idea doesn’t sit well with most major economies. “I think now is not the place to develop tax rules, but rather to jointly develop measures to protect against the consequences of climate change,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. US climate envoy John Kerry also rejected the idea of ​​”compensation”, but said there may be other ways to help. Although money is tight in the cost of living crisis, vulnerable nations point to the many billions countries found to help Ukraine fight Russia or during the COVID crisis. On Monday, Al Gore, the former vice president of the United States, warned how many people would be forced to flee their homes if the world did not act. “Imagine what a billion climate refugees would do. It would end the possibility of self-governance,” he said.

The idea of ​​loss and damage brings more questions than answers

          Hannah Thomas-Peter

Correspondent on climate change and energy @hannahtpsky Whatever the intention of host Egypt, this climate summit has become the COP’s loss and damage. In the corridors and at the events, and in the journalists’ questions, the talk is that he will not be silent. It is also officially on the agenda for debate for the first time. But the idea, which refers to rich countries and companies paying compensation to developing countries damaged as a result of climate change, is controversial and complicated. Rich countries worry about liability and astronomical costs. The bill for the devastating floods in Pakistan, for example, is estimated at around $30 billion. Diplomats I spoke to point out that there is no way to quantify the loss of culture or language or sites of historical significance. They worry about who will oversee a fund, the payments from it, who will have access and when… There are so many more questions than answers. There are also real concerns, particularly from America, that the issue is distracting from the work to reduce carbon emissions that would help tackle the climate crisis. But there is little sympathy for it from supporters. They may be idealistic, even unrealistic, about what can be achieved in the next fortnight, but they dominate the conversation and want to keep it that way. Watch the Daily Climate Show at 3.30pm Monday to Friday and The Climate Show with Tom Heap on Saturday and Sunday at 3.30pm and 7.30pm. All on Sky News, the Sky News website and app, YouTube and Twitter. The show explores how global warming is changing our landscape and highlights solutions to the crisis.