The tragedy of this week’s events in Ukraine bears down on all of us. The human cost of this senseless invasion is heartbreaking, and we must do everything we can to help those fleeing Russia’s brutal assault, including opening our doors to all refugees in need.

As I said on Politics Live yesterday, we must also apply maximum economic pressure to Putin and the elites around him — and target them rather than ordinary citizens. The UK must move faster to freeze assets and confiscate the property of those oligarchs close to Putin. Any delay gives them more opportunity to hide their funds.

This week’s events overshadowed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s new report, which warns that there is now only a small window to mitigate the worst effects of global heating, which threaten the conditions for life on earth itself. Russia’s war risks pushing back action on climate change. This would be a huge mistake: failing to tackle the climate crisis will only create the conditions for more global conflict.

The other threat to climate action comes from those who claim the rising cost of living means we can’t afford to cut dangerous carbon emissions. But the surge in energy costs suggests the opposite. We can retrofit and power our homes with clean, homegrown, renewable sources of energy rather than rely on volatile fossil fuel markets that are at the mercy of global conflict. There is still a pathway to a better future, however distant it may feel in these troubling times.

Miatta Fahnbulleh, Chief Executive, NEF

Donate to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal