Russian defeat is inevitable, and will allow world to focus on our real problem — Climate change

The countries of the former Soviet empire eagerly await defeat of the Russian army in Ukraine, and the world will be able to focus on climate change, writes George Soros

A Ukrainian police officer takes cover in front of a burning building that was hit in a Russian airstrike in Avdiivka, Ukraine, recently. Russia, with the help of Iran, has introduced drones on a large scale to undermine Ukrainians’ morale by depriving the civilian population of electricity, heat, and water. Picture: AP/Evgeniy Maloletka

It is just over one month ago that I gave a speech on the eve of the Munich Security Conference. Since then, so many remarkable things have happened — and have happened so fast — that it is worth comparing my predictions of a month ago with actual developments.

The biggest changes have occurred in the global climate system. By this, I mean actual climate events and climate scientists’ understanding of those events. The main message I wanted to convey in Munich was that the global climate system is greatly dependent on what happens within the Arctic Circle.