Most of you reading this have already lived through several economic crises, the Earth's hottest years on record, and most recently, the realisation that peace and stability can never be taken for granted. The war in Ukraine is only one of several overlapping – and at times mutually reinforcing – crises, which include a myriad of economic, environmental, political and security pressures. We all experience these differently, but hopefully we can all agree on one thing: diplomacy has to be at the heart of responses.
Our articles this month lay out some priorities for multilateral action. The IPCC report from last February gives a strong warning about the current state of the climate crisis and the urgent need for transformative change. It also confirms much of what we have learned about climate and conflict, and should spur policymakers across climate, development and security to put more focus on climate-linked fragility risks. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted an enormous diplomatic effort as the West coordinates its responses. The EU should mobilise a similar effort to tackle climate change. For the U.S., Ukraine should be a reminder to get moving on its stalled conflict prevention agenda elsewhere, and ensure that climate is central to understanding fragility risks. For policymakers and planners everywhere, recent climate shocks contain important lessons for mitigating the fallout of the war in Ukraine, while the lessons from this war should inform how we prepare for looming climate-linked food insecurity.
The reality is that we have to be able to respond to multiple crises at once. That means working together, learning from each other, and looking beyond stop-gap solutions. We need long-term climate- and conflict-sensitive measures so we don’t lurch from one crisis to the next. But here’s the good news: the climate and environment communities have been breaking siloes and finding holistic solutions for years. And we’re ready to keep it going as we face the challenges ahead.
Have a great read,
Your Editorial Team
