Ukrainian climate activists held a demonstration titled “Fossil Fuels Fund War and Climate Change” during the UN Climate Conference of the Parties (COP29), currently taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan. The event was dedicated to the 1,000th day since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It aims to highlight how fossil fuels drive military conflicts, contribute to human rights violations, and cause climate change.
The demonstration was organized by activists from the nongovernmental organization “Ecoaction” with participation from members of the feminist-climate initiative “Rozviy” and climate activists from other countries.
“As a climate activist, I wanted to emphasize the link between fossil fuels, war, and climate change. We Ukrainians are currently suffering from both the consequences of war and climate change. The source of both issues is the same – fossil fuels. Ecoaction has been highlighting the impact of war on the environment and climate for 2.5 years and will continue to highlight this on international platforms,” – said Ecoaction`s activist Olga Tarasenko.
According to researchers, in these 1,000 days, Russia has earned nearly 800 billion euros from fossil fuel exports. These revenues account for up to half of Russia’s federal budget and help finance the war in Ukraine.
At the same time, the full-scale war is exacerbating the climate crisis. Two years of full-scale invasion have resulted in the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that exceeds the annual emissions of a highly industrialized country like The Netherlands, putting 90 million new petrol cars on the road, or building 260 coal-fired power units of 200 MW each. The damage to the climate is estimated at 32 billion USD.
Given this, the world must phase out fossil fuels, including those from Russia, to preserve peace and combat the climate crisis. A crucial part of climate negotiations should be the adoption of a decision that the aggressor must bear responsibility for emissions caused by armed conflicts.
For more information please contact press@ecoact.org.ua