What does Russia’s war mean for global climate goals?
A group of Ukrainian women demonstrate to call for further action against Russia near the headquarters of the EU Commission in Brussels, Belgium.
Thierry Monasse | Getty Images News | Getty Images
LONDON — Reflecting on energy markets just over one month into Russia’s onslaught in Ukraine, Saudi Arabia’s top energy official said: “Look at what is happening today, who is talking about climate change now?”
Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman’s comments in late March were effectively a rerun of his address to attendees at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, in November last year when he claimed the world could slash greenhouse gas emissions without swearing off hydrocarbons.
Summarizing his views on energy security and the climate crisis, Abdulaziz told CNBC that the world’s top oil exporter would not shy away from fossil fuel production. “We are pro producing oil and gas, and — hallelujah — pro using coal.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine is now on the cusp of entering its fourth month, amplifying concern about what the conflict means for food, energy and global climate goals.
The G-7 has warned Russia’s invasion has resulted in “one of the most severe food and energy crises in recent history,” threatening those most vulnerable worldwide.
From my side, since I am still here in Ukraine and I see everything here from the very beginning, I would say that our first security is the security of life.
Svitlana Krakovska
Climate scientist
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said the Kremlin’s assault on Ukraine will likely have major implications for global heating targets, particularly as many countries turn to coal or imports of liquefied natural gas as alternative sources to Russian energy.
Guterres described this short-sighted rush to fossil fuels as “madness,” before warning that humanity’s “addiction to fossil fuels is mutually assured destruction.”
Six months from the end of COP26, where negotiators left the U.K. with a sense of incremental progress, the global energy picture has changed dramatically.
In short, Russia’s invasion has put a planned energy transition at a crossroads. The upshot facing policymakers is that the shift away from fossil fuels is vital to avoid a cataclysmic climate scenario.
The U.N. chief has said that instead of countries “hitting the brakes” on the decarbonization of the global economy in the wake of Russia’s invasion, “now is the time to put the pedal to the metal towards a renewable energy future.”
Energy security vs. energy transition
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has thrust the issue of energy security back toward the top of the political agenda. Indeed, one of the most pressing challenges facing European leaders today is how to sever their dependence on Russian energy while accelerating the fight against the climate crisis.
Complicating this challenge, however, is the fact that many European countries are acutely reliant on Russian oil and gas.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly called for…
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