The climate cost of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has reached new heights after 3 years of war. Emissions rose by 31% in the last 12 months to nearly 230 (229.7) million tonnes of CO2 equivalent since the full scale invasion began on 24 February 2022, according to an authoritative annual analysis published at the three year anniversary point. This is the equivalent of the annual emissions of Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia combined, or the annual emissions of 120 million cars. Read the full press release here.
I’m in two minds whether to launch a report on an anniversary date, when it has to compete with far higher profile stories. In this case, anniversary-related news led the global news agenda, with European leaders visited Kiev and the US voted alongside North Korea and Russia at the UN. But the report squeezed through with fairly good coverage at about 150 articles, including in El Pais, Algemeen Dagblad, La Repubblica, RFI, DR, the Guardian, Publico and La Stampa.
