Ukraine says it will seek almost $44 billion from Russia to cover the climate damage caused by wartime emissions, marking the first attempt by any nation to bill an aggressor for its carbon footprint during conflict.
Speaking on the sidelines of COP30 in Belém, Brazil, Deputy Minister for Economy, Environment and Agriculture Pavlo Kartashov said the war has turned Ukraine’s ecosystems into a “silent victim”, with severe harm to land, forests and water, alongside a surge in greenhouse gases released by fighting and destruction.
Ukraine argues that Russia’s invasion has generated around 237 million tonnes of extra CO₂-equivalent emissions since 2022 — roughly the annual output of Ireland, Belgium and Austria combined — according to Dutch carbon-accounting specialist Lennard de Klerk, who assisted in calculating the figure.
The claim is based on the social cost of carbon, valued at about $185 per tonne in a 2022 Nature study. Ukraine plans to file the demand through a new compensation mechanism being set up by the Council of Europe, which has already logged roughly 70,000 individual claims for war-related losses.
If the claim proceeds, it would be the first case in which a state is held financially liable for emissions produced as a result of an act of aggression.
De Klerk said the eventual source of compensation remains uncertain, though frozen Russian assets held abroad are seen as a potential avenue - a move Russia said would elicit a "painful response".
A member of Russia’s delegation at COP30 declined to comment.
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Europe is entering a period of long-term population decline just as right-wing parties push to restrict migration. A widening gap now separates Europe’s demographic needs from its political choices.
French naval forces opened fire on a swarm of unidentified drones that flew over one of the country’s most sensitive military installations, the Île Longue submarine base in western Brittany, officials confirmed on Friday.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw is underway at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where world leaders, sports stars and FIFA officials have gathered for a ceremony shaping next summer’s expanded 48-team tournament.
Thousands of students across Germany walked out of classrooms on Friday to protest a newly approved military service law.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw is underway at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where world leaders, sports stars and FIFA officials have gathered for a ceremony shaping next summer’s expanded 48-team tournament.
Faced with mounting public outrage following one of the deadliest environmental disasters in the nation’s recent history, the Indonesian government has pledged to investigate and potentially shut down mining operations found to have contributed to the catastrophic flooding on Sumatra.
Israel was cleared on Thursday to participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, a decision made by the organisers, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which sparked a major controversy.
Britain’s King Charles III welcomed German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Wednesday, marking the beginning of his three-day state visit to the United Kingdom. The visit, the first by a German President to the UK in 27 years, comes as the two countries continue to strengthen ties post-Brexit.
Ukraine has rejected Russian claims that its forces have captured the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Donetsk, stating that Ukrainian troops continue to hold the northern districts along a railway line.
Europe is entering a period of long-term population decline just as right-wing parties push to restrict migration. A widening gap now separates Europe’s demographic needs from its political choices.
French naval forces opened fire on a swarm of unidentified drones that flew over one of the country’s most sensitive military installations, the Île Longue submarine base in western Brittany, officials confirmed on Friday.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw is underway at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where world leaders, sports stars and FIFA officials have gathered for a ceremony shaping next summer’s expanded 48-team tournament.
Thousands of students across Germany walked out of classrooms on Friday to protest a newly approved military service law.
Norway plans to buy two additional submarines from Germany and a separate procurement of long-range artillery, the defence ministry said on Friday, at a much higher cost than before partly due to high demand for military equipment.
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