The UN secretary general warned that the war in Ukraine could make it impossible to reach global climate targets. This is because countries will respond to Russia’s aggression by increasing their consumption of fossil fuels.
Antnio Guterres stated that the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C above preindustrial levels, as set out at the Cop26 UN Climate Summit last year, was in danger due to countries seeking alternatives to Russian oil or gas.
Russia’s war in Ukraine could cause major disruptions to global food and energy markets. This could have serious implications for the global climate program. In a video address to a conference in sustainability organized by the Economist newspaper in London, he warned that short-term measures could lead to long-term dependence on fossil fuels and close the window on 1.5C.
He continued, saying that countries could become so consumed in the immediate fossil fuel supply crisis that they ignore or neglect to implement policies to reduce fossil fuel consumption. This is madness. This is madness.
40% of Europe’s gas comes from Russia, and 60% of Europe’s is supplied by Germany. The EU has a plan in place to reduce its dependence on Russian oil by two-thirds this yea and eliminate it in the future.
EU member states are looking for fossil fuels from other countries as part of this plan. This includes expanding renewable energy generation and gas from Qatar. Some may also be open to the possibility of an increase in coal-fired electricity generation.
The US is looking to increase its oil imports in the face of high petrol prices. This includes countries such as Venezuela and Iran, which were previously considered pariah states. The US is expected to increase domestic oil and gas production through fracking and drilling. Oil and gas companies around world are seeing a boom from the ongoing crisis. It is being driven by the rebound after Covid-19 as well as countries moving their imports away Russia.
Rishi Sunak (UK chancellor) is considering a reduction of fuel duty to offset some of recent price increases that have brought petrol near record highs. Critics warned that such a cut would not have any impact on the poorer households.
Guterres stated that turning to fossil fuels would only lead to more problems. He stated that the continued reliance on fossil fuels leaves the global economy and energy security vulnerable to geopolitical shocks or crises. Now is the right time to accelerate towards a future of renewable energy, rather than putting the brakes on global decarbonisation.
The UN secretary general acknowledged that climate experts were concerned about the possibility of Cop26’s progress being lost to rising energy prices and increased greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Last year, the annual carbon dioxide emissions from electricity jumped by 6%As economies recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic, they reached their highest levels ever in history. The green recovery promised by many governments after the crisis has not been realized.
Guterres warned that if we keep doing the same thing, 1.5C will be gone. Even 2C might be impossible to achieve. This would be a disaster.