As fighting reached the outskirts of Kyiv on Friday evening, families across the region were taking shelter — including Yakiv Didukh, the sole Ukrainian scientist working on a landmark U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report expected Monday.
"I can hear explosions from my house," he told Reuters. "It is difficult for me now to think and talk about the climate, because the psychological situation is very tense. I am waiting and hoping that this will end and I will be able to do science."
Didukh is a botanist at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The U.N. assessment report, prepared by Working Group II, will address climate change and adaptation. The report is currently before government delegates for final approval and acceptance. Sources would not comment on whether Ukraine officials have remained present during final negotiations.
Five Russian scientists also worked on the report.
Didukh serves as a researcher on a chapter addressing terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems.
(Reporting by Gloria Dickie; Editing by Sandra Maler)
