UN officials: Energy crisis shouldn’t delay emissions slash

By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS
Associated Press

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — United Nations officials say a switch back to coal and other fossil fuels by several countries to weather an energy crisis triggered by Russia’s war in Ukraine shouldn’t compromise efforts to curb greenhouse emissions. Sonja Leighton-Kone, a senior official with the United Nations Environment Program said Wednesday that lending a sympathetic ear to the energy “shock” that many countries are experiencing doesn’t mean that the goal of a speedy switch to clean energy can’t be achieved. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Executive Secretary Olga Algayerova said suspending the timetable on achieving specific climate change goals whenever an energy crisis arises would mean that they would never be achieved.