Can Canada help Europe kick its addiction to Russian oil and gas?
Four days after Russia invaded Ukraine, the United Nations published its latest climate report. It detailed how hotter temperatures are already punishing people around the planet. As in previous reports, it called for urgent action on a “rapidly closing window of opportunity.”
Despite strong growth in renewable power, humanity’s dependence on fossil fuels remains largely unabated. The International Energy Agencythat greenhouse gas emissions from energy hit their highest level ever in 2021 – led by burning more of the dirtiest fuel there is, coal. And unrelenting global demand for oil and gas is clearly reflected in recent steep price increases for both, which began even before the war.
But there are answers, both short term and long term. It’s about Europe shifting to different suppliers of fossil fuels in the coming months, while hastening its plans to go green., “we simply cannot rely on a supplier who explicitly threatens us.” It put forward a plan to slash dependence on Russia gas by two-thirds by the end of 2022, and get off Russian fossil fuels completely “well before 2030.
But Europe is in a bind today because of mistakes made years ago. Germany’s decision to phase out nuclear power, to be completed this year, was a glaring error and one it needs to reconsider. It replaced some zero-emission nuclear power with coal, half of which comes from Russia; the result is geopolitical stupidity heaped upon environmental calamity. Add in natural gas and in the quest for cheap energy, Europe bound itself tightly to Russia.
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