Svitlana Krakovska, Ukraine’s top climate scientist, says that the main driver of Ukraine’s climate crisis and Russia’s conflict with Ukraine is directly linked: They both stem from humankind’s. fossil fuel dependency.

CNBC interviewed Krakovska from Kyiv. Krakovska said that her phone had been disconnected and she was talking about the past week.

This conflict has led to a devastating humanitarian crisis, sent shockwavesThrough financial markets, and then left Russia increasingly isolatedOn the international stage.

“It isn’t even war, but I must say it now. At first it seemed like war, as we had troops fighting. But now Russia is simply shelling our cities. “It is genocide against our Ukrainian nation,” Krakovska said to CNBC.

“It is really scary — more scary even than the beginning because we don’t know when the next strike will be or in which city.”

Krakovska was leading an 11-member delegation of Ukrainian climate scientists that helped to finalize U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change at the beginning of Russia’s massive assault. landmark reportIt will be released on February 28th.

However, Krakovska assured colleagues at the IPCC, that even though Russia attacked several Ukrainian cities with missiles including Kyiv and other towns, Ukraine’s delegation “continues to work” if there was an internet connection.

I just said, “OK, Ukraine will do its work. We’ll resist. We’ll try to survive,” she stated.

It became apparent that many of Ukraine’s delegate would find it impossible to do so within hours. While one of their colleagues in Kharkiv found shelter for his family as they were under attack from heavy shelling in the northeast, others fled to safety far from the capital.

Krakovska is a fan of the IPCC. warningRussia’s invasion in Ukraine was clearly a factor that led to climate change.

According to the veteran climate scientist, “Officially, maybe the cause of the conflict is not due to fossil fuels but it would be impossible without them.” They are an enabler.

“This is madness”

Krakovska, the director of Ukraine’s Hydrometeorological Institute’s applied climatology lab, is well-versed in Russia.

Born in Kyiv, she studied meteorology at St. Petersburg. She has also traveled to Siberia and Chukotka as well as the polar regions. For her Antarctic Expedition work, Volodymyr Zilenskyy awarded her with a Presidential Award.

“For Russia to act with impunity … You see what they do, they are strong enough to threaten all of the world. “They started with Ukraine, but they are capable of doing everything and no one can stop them,” Krakovska stated.

According to the IPCC, half the world’s population are now at risk from disasters resulting from fossil fuel burning. The report warns that any delay in taking coordinated global action will “miss a short and quickly closing window to ensure a sustainable future.”

In the meantime, President Vladimir Putin keeps his war chest topped up with oil and gas revenues daily by energy-importing nations. AnalysisFrom the campaign group Transport and Environment, Russia’s military might was reinforced by $285million in daily oil payments from European countries.

In fact, Russian oil and natural gas revenue was seenapproximately 43% of Kremlin’s federal government budget for 2011-2020, which highlights how central fossil fuels are to the Russian government.

Krakovska stated that it was paradoxical for many Western countries to be so dependent upon Russian oil and gaz, despite being previously viewed in Ukraine as more open or democratic.

Krakovska explained that “the conclusion should be that we must stop relying on fossil fuels as soon as possible, in order to create a better world for ourselves and our children.” “This must be clear.”

Conflict in Ukraine coincides with sharp risesIn the rise in prices for coal, oil, and gas, as nations scramble to substitute Russian energy sources.

After the Ukraine crisis, the rush to make humanity more dependent on fossil fuels prompted the issuance of a dire warningAntonio Guterres, U.N. Secretary General.

Guterres declared Monday, in his first major speech about climate and energy since COP26 at the end of last year that “Countries may become so consumed with the immediate fossil fuel supply gaps that they neglect to or knee-cap policies for cutting fossil fuel usage.” “And this madness is: the mutually assured destruction caused by addiction to fossil fuels”