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Ukraine is tackling global climate change while fighting a war against Russia, a senior Kyiv official has said.
Victoria Kyreieva, deputy minister of environmental protection, said on Monday that a delegation from the country travelled to the Cop28 summit to show the world that Ukraine was not only focused on its own problems.
Officials are determined to prioritise Ukraine’s “green recovery” at the talks, she said.
It comes as the nation faces daily attacks from Russia, with a counteroffensive now stymied by the onset of winter.
“The victory and end of war is the main goal, but we need to start thinking and start planning the green recovery right now. That’s why we are here,” Ms Kyreieva said.
Ms Kyreieva spoke to The National at the Ukrainian pavilion, where the effects of Russia's invasion of the country were impossible to ignore. For part of the exhibition, Kyiv shipped a tiled roof from a house flooded after the collapse of the Kakhovka Dam, in the southern Kherson region.
The dam was a source of electricity and water for millions of Ukrainians before the conflict began. Its destruction caused flooding that destroyed villages and crops. Ukraine blamed Russia, but the Kremlin denies any involvement in the incident.
“A tragedy happened this year. We call it the largest environmental crime," Ms Kyreieva said.
A report issued by Ukraine on the environmental effects of the war was updated for Cop28. The fighting has caused about $60 billion in environmental damage, with greenhouse gas emissions higher than the annual amounts reported by some countries, the report said.
It said about 120 million tonnes in war-related emissions were created in the 12 months from the start of the invasion on February – higher than the annual totals recorded by Romania, Austria, Norway and Sweden. Ukraine said its emissions figure climbed to 150 million tonnes this month.
Ms Kyreieva said Ukraine was calling for more accountability for greenhouse gas emissions caused by war and wanted international laws to include the principle that the “aggressor pays”.
It is Ukraine’s second time it has a pavilion at a Cop summit. At Cop27 last year in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, Kyiv's sombre pavilion was shrouded in grey to reflect the immediate shock and despair at Russia's invasion.
This year Ukraine is trying to forge ahead with green energy projects and efforts to restore land and recycle debris. On Monday, it announced a $489 million expansion of a wind farm in the southern Mykolaiv region.
“I don’t think that the world has forgotten about Ukraine,” said Ms Kyreieva. “We see clear support from our partners at Cop28. We have had high-level guests at our pavilion this year – presidents, prime ministers and ministers.
“This year, participants from African countries know what is happening in Ukraine. Last year they didn’t know.
“The message is Ukrainians still live during the war. But it is not normal. We want to end this war.
"But we need the world’s support. We plead for the world’s support.”
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
