Palestine and Ukraine are making their climate goals heard at Cop30 climate summit in Brazil, even as both countries face devastating wars at home.
Samer Kalbouneh, from Palestine’s Environment Quality Authority, describes participation this year is an act of resilience.
“This was not the first war, but it was the most aggressive and most brutal war,” he told The National in reference to the conflict in Gaza.
“We try our best to manage and find ways to live with the world as best as we can, because this is part of our resilience. We need to survive and live on our land forever.”
He described the destruction in Gaza and the West Bank, saying that about 90 per cent of the infrastructure has been ruined.
“The water resources are polluted and networks of water are also ruined,” he said. “The average water consumption per capita was about 80 litres per day. In Gaza, it is about 5 litres per capita per day. It is only used for drinking.”
Electricity, he added, “has been rationed for the past 15 years in Gaza, but now there is no electricity at all”.
Mr Kalbouneh said daily movement restrictions also make life extremely difficult. “In the West Bank, there are more than 1,000 Israeli checkpoints that prevent people from travelling freely within their own lands,” he explained.
The restrictions, he said, have also devastated agriculture. “Many Palestinians depend on rain-fed agriculture, especially for olives in the West Bank. This year, the harvest was about 10 to 15 per cent of the average because people could not reach their land.”
A major renewable energy and water project in Gaza, funded by the Green Climate Fund, has also been lost. “It was destroyed in the first week of the war,” Mr Kalbouneh said. “The area of the land where, for example, Ireland invested $7 million in solar panels is now a place where tanks gather in Gaza.”
The environmental toll, he said, is immense. “Almost 80 per cent of the agricultural land in Gaza is not in use or cannot be used without further investigation and rehabilitation because of the extensive use of explosives,” he explained. “The contamination of soil has rendered the land unsuitable for agriculture.”
Despite this, Palestinians continue to adapt. “Coping is our life,” Mr Kalbouneh said. “We try to collect water from rooftops. Some people have their own garden next to their house to get some of the basic vegetables or fruits.”
He said his team is working to embed environmental planning in Gaza’s reconstruction. “The need for reconstruction is somewhere between $60 billion and $90 billion for Gaza,” Mr Kalbouneh said.
“The use of vehicles and construction materials will have their impact on emissions. So, we need to consider the best solution that would have the minimum effect on environment.”
A struggle for recognition
At Cop30, Palestine is calling for greater access to global climate funds. “Some of the main environmental and climate funds do not recognise Palestine,” he said.
“Although Palestine is eligible since it is a signatory in the climate change agreement, for political reasons, we are not allowed to make use of them. Our message here is to stress our right to get funding like other countries.”
Mr Kalbouneh pointed out that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said at the opening of the summit that this is the Cop of truth.
“The truth is that developed countries are not fulfilling their obligation to developing countries to cope with climate change,” he added. “This should end and a clear agreement should be adopted as soon as possible.”
But Mr Kalbouneh acknowledged that the war has shifted national priorities. “We don’t have schools in Gaza. We don’t have hospitals. That has been the priority,” he said. “We were thinking, for example, to have solar energy for hospitals and schools. But now we need to build schools to have solar energy on them.”
Still, he remains determined. “The war is bad everywhere, and the impact of climate change is bad. We are not a reason for climate change, but we are committed ethically to work with the global community.”
Ukraine’s pavilion of resistance
Delegates from Ukraine are also using the Cop30 summit to highlight their environmental challenges amid conflict. Ukraine has set up a pavilion showcasing its efforts to cut carbon emissions and rebuild sustainably, despite the war with Russia.
Svitlana Sushko, team leader of the recovery and reform support team at Ukraine’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, said much of the country’s industrial base has been destroyed.
“A lot of our facilities, energy and also industrial facilities, were destroyed. So, the carbon dioxide emission went down,” she explained. “But as Ukraine tries to build more facilities, we face an increase in carbon dioxide emissions.”
She said Ukraine is striving to rebuild using cleaner technology. “We try to use new materials and energy efficiency is taken into account. But still, once you start to build, it causes a rise in carbon dioxide emissions.”
War itself is a source of emissions. “We are talking about forest fires. We are talking about petrol which was used by Russian occupants in Ukraine’s territories, and explosions at energy facilities. Everything gets released in the air,” Ms Sushko said.
Ukraine remains committed to its climate neutrality goal by 2050. “If we are reconstructing facilities and buildings and parts which were destroyed, we try to do it in the more environment friendly way,” Ms Sushko said.
However, she noted the country urgently needs expertise. “Because of the war, a lot of high-level professionals left to protect our country,” she said. “Increasing capacity, sharing experience with other partners – that’s the most valuable now for Ukraine to go faster on the road to rebuild the country.”
Ukraine’s delegation is also calling for accountability in international climate reporting. “We are working on negotiations to stop the reporting of carbon dioxide emissions, which Russia is responsible for on our occupied territories,” she said.
“Climate doesn’t have borders. The climate actions and war by Russia in Ukraine also impacts other countries. This should be recognised, punished and stopped.”
