Ukraine is seeking $44 billion in compensation from Russia for war-related carbon emissions. Kyiv said the claim would cover emissions from the fossil fuels and emissions-heavy commodities like cement and steel used in fighting the war, as well as emissions from forest fires and from the deviation of commercial flights around closed Ukrainian airspace. In total, according to one independent analysis, those emissions add up to at least 237 million metric tons, more than the annual emissions of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia combined.
It’s not clear whether Ukraine’s US and European allies will support the idea of taking this money out of frozen Russian assets, or whether another avenue exists by which Moscow could be compelled to pay. In the meantime, Oxford University researchers argue in a new paper that carbon markets could help Ukraine finance its post-war reconstruction, but only if the country’s emissions regulations are improved.