The war in Ukraine has consequences for climate change

Another crisis is now on our political agenda: the war in Ukraine, which is affecting countries across the globe, including Canada. So where is climate change now on Canada’s list of priorities?

As the war has created an oil-and-gas crisis, which is driving gas prices in Canada skyrocketing at the pumps, our top priority is the economy.  Today’s gas prices in Canada are at $172.6/litre in Peterborough (Friday, March 4) and $194.9/litre Victoria, B.C. As the war in Ukraine escalates, these prices will only increase. As people drive less, higher gas prices should have a positive effect on climate change. New data from the Department of Energy reveals that this is not always so. People tend spend less on other items just to drive their cars. 

Our dependency on fossil fuels was why we needed to switch to renewable energy when the IPCC warned us in 1990 that climate change was a crisis with global consequences. We would not be as dependent on fossil fuels if we had switched to hybrid, electric, and hydrogen fuel cells vehicles in 1990. 

Under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in 1990, the Oka Crisis was the only crisis he had. He was able to heed the IPCC warnings and transition from fossil fuels to electric vehicles and renewable energy. The Oka crisis was a Mohawk protest  against the expansion of a golf course and condominium village near Oka, Quebec on sacred land that was their aboriginal territory and included a Mohawk cemetery. Oh what we do in the name of “progress.”

Fast forward to 2022 when we are now dealing with four crises at the same time—a catastrophic war in Ukraine with a madman at the helm capable of firing nuclear missiles at any country that opposes him; the persistent COVID pandemic; the economic crisis; and last but not least—the climate change crisis. Climate change will soon be covered in tar sands, until all other crises are resolved. 

On Feb. 24, CBC News reported that the war in Ukraine underscores the need to modernize military capacity in Canada’s north because it has implications for northerners on climate change.

“The Russians are in fact, willing to use any means possible to seize the territory of a sovereign state,” says Robert Huebert, associate professor at the University of Calgary whose work focuses on Arctic security and sovereignty.

“A lot of our understanding of climate change comes from the co-operative sharing of information and science with the Russians within the context of the Arctic Council. The Arctic Council’s chair is currently held by Russia. As we impose more sanctions, the Russians will then retaliate and the essence of what is required for any form of cooperation will have been eliminated,” explains Huebert.

Even though the war is taking place in Ukraine, it also has implications for Canada as we are all connected in a global economy facing the same global crises. It is therefore necessary to address all four crises simultaneously.  

The good news is that CBC’s The National is now advertising climate change updates from the federal government instead of advertising gas-fuelled vehicles. That’s a good first start.

Tricia Clarkson is a climate columnist and co-chair for Peterborough Alliance for Climate Action