Conflict, coal and climate change

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The war in Ukraine has shattered decades of peace in Europe, but is it also derailing global efforts to avoid dangerous climate change? The big climate conference in Glasgow - COP26 - was only in November of 2021. Promises and commitments to reduce fossil fuel emissions were made, but the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has underlined the lack of progress. He says it’s “madness” to turn to fossil fuels because of the war and that problems discussed in Glasgow last year have not been solved – if anything, "they are getting worse". In the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, the slow but certain dangers from a warming climate have been usurped by the immediate threat from Russia - and the facepalming realisation that the war is being bankrolled by Europe’s reliance on Putin’s fossil fuels. Efforts are being made to wean countries off Russian energy, but it’s not an overnight fix – and it’s costly. For 5 Minutes on, the BBC’s environment correspondent, Matt McGrath – looks at what all this means for our fragile planet. Image Credit: Travelpix via Getty Images