By William Ashford
The current argument for clean and renewable energy sources is about more than just combating climate change; it is about nations’ independence from authoritarian states.
According to the Columbia University Climate School, In 2021, the European Union (EU) imported 142 billion cubic meters (BCM) of Russian natural gas, accounting for 45% of its total natural gas imports. That same year, Europe (including Turkey) imported 185 BCM of Russian oil, 36% of the continent’s total gas demand. In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine; but the reliance on non-renewables persisted.
On Thursday, Feb. 24, Russian troops, tanks, and armored cars rolled into Ukraine in the first European military land invasion since World War I.
On Feb. 22, in response to Russian aggression on the Ukraine border, Germany suspended the Nord Stream Two natural gas pipelines, which carried 55 BCM of natural gas to Germany. According to Clean Energy Wire, Germany received 55% of its natural gas from Russia in 2020, so its abrupt ban of the pipeline forced the country to rolling blackouts. However, this closure was a step towards independence from Russian non-renewables.
The rest of the world is following Germany’s example: Britain plans to phase out all Russian oil imports by the end of the calendar year. According to President Biden, the United States completely banned all Russian oil imports earlier this month, and the EU plans to eliminate two-thirds of all Russian natural gas imports by 2023. But if the EU relies so heavily on Russian energy, how do they effectively phase it out? How can these countries stop funding the Kremlin? The answer is renewables.
Renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, can be produced domestically and does not rely on geography as oil does. Because of this, green energy countries can be more energy independent and avoid the instability created by importing fossil fuels.
Some countries are already ahead of Europe’s movement toward renewable energy independence. According to Our World Data, In 2018, Norway produced 66% of its energy from renewables, allowing it to import just 0.007 barrels of crude oil (BBL) and 1.05 cubic meters (m³) of natural gas. Since the US produced just 8% of our energy from renewable sources, we were forced to import 0.024 BBL per capita and 261 m³ of natural gas. 45% of Brazil’s energy was derived from renewable sources. As a result, the country imported just 0.001 BBL and 49.45 m³ of natural gas. Due to the domestic production of renewables, these countries have some of the lowest carbon footprints and are more energy independent than other nations. Plus, they have less to worry about when their gas sources are cut off so abruptly for global peace purposes.
The US has increased its export of liquified natural gas to Europe in order to meet the demand of the continent’s energy deprived nations. During wartime, this reliance is acceptable as countries are forced to abruptly cut off fossil fuel imports. However, switching from one fossil fuel country to another will not aid Europe in the long term. The importance of switching to renewables has been made clear time and time again by persistent scientists and activists. Another benefit can be found in the decreasing prices of renewable energy. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, the cost of solar photovoltaic cells fell by 85%, concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) systems by 68%, onshore wind power by 56%, and offshore wind power by 48% between 2010 and 2020.
Ironically for many western European countries, renewables are the most inexpensive sources of energy available for production. For Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and Germany, the cheapest energy is new solar. In Sweden and Poland, its cheapest energy is new onshore wind power. So why do so many European nations accept the US’s continuous exports of more than 50% of its liquified natural gas? A transition to renewable sources of energy would be more cost-effective for Europe and allow it to become independent of US liquified natural gas.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced Europe into an energy crisis and exposed the world’s dangerous reliance on foreign fossil fuels. Coupling this issue with the climate crisis spells one silver bullet solution: renewable energy.
Work Cited:
https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2022/03/14/qa-how-deep-is-europes-dependence-on-russian-oil/
https://www.cleanenergywire.org/factsheets/germanys-dependence-imported-fossil-fuels
https://ourworldindata.org/energy-mix
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