Jessica McKenzie

Bulletin: Russian military surrounds Europe’s largest nuclear power plant as Ukrainians block access roads

Russian military forces have taken control of the territory around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, which contains six of country’s 15 nuclear reactors, heightening concerns that the safety of the plant and its workers could be at risk.

“The situation in Ukraine is unprecedented and I continue to be gravely concerned,” the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, told the organization in an emergency meeting on Wednesday. “It is the first time a military conflict is happening amidst the facilities of a large, established nuclear power program.”

Bulletin: Against backdrop of war, major climate report calls for adaptation and mitigation now

The world must invest much more in climate adaptation in addition to slashing greenhouse emissions if the worst effects of the escalating climate crisis are to be avoided, the 270 authors of the latest United Nations climate report warn. And it has to happen soon.

“The cumulative scientific evidence is unequivocal,” their report concludes. “Climate change is a threat to human well-being and planetary health. Any further delay in concerted anticipatory global action on adaptation and mitigation will miss a brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all.”

Bulletin: Cluster bombs can harm Ukrainians long after the shelling has stopped

Cluster munitions have been banned by more than 110 countries for the indiscriminate damage they cause to people and to the environment.

Bulletin: War has been an environmental disaster for Ukraine

If Russia embarks on a full-scale invasion of Ukraine—as military maneuvering suggests it might—US intelligence officials estimate that between 25,000 to 50,000 civilians could die. An additional 5,000 to 25,000 Ukrainian soldiers and 3,000 to 10,000 Russian soldiers could also be killed. While the toll on human life would be steep, a full-scale military invasion would also have long-lasting environmental impacts in Ukraine.

Bulletin: Climate activists contest EU’s “green” designation for gas and nuclear energy

To the dismay of climate and environmental groups, the European Commission appears poised to include gas and nuclear energy in an influential sustainable-development rulebook for climate-friendly investing.