Abstract

Editor’s Introduction 5 In February 2022 – as the world was still reeling and energy imports. Furthermore, the unprec- amid the disastrous legacy of the coronavirus edented humanitarian crisis and reconstruction pandemic – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brought needs created by the war in Ukraine will limit the about the most consequential inter-state armed international humanitarian aid and development conflict since the Second World War, hitting the funding available to many conflicts and crises in global economy with yet another major shock by other parts of the world. disrupting agricultural-goods and energy supply Worsening food insecurity is a visible manifes- chains. By adding to pre-existing inflationary tation of how the global shocks of the coronavirus pressures (through its impact on staple cereals, pandemic and the war in Ukraine intersect with fertilisers and energy prices), the war fuelled the long-standing and accelerating climate-change poverty, inequality and food insecurity – the latter emergency. Climate change and conflict appear to already at record highs following the pandem- be increasingly connected in a vicious circle, with ic. Inevitably, these trends will exacerbate root the former indirectly contributing to conflict dynam- causes of conflict and instability in fragile coun- ics (by aggravating their drivers