By Jasmine Singh
According to Eurostat, Russia is currently responsible for roughly 40% of the EU’s natural gas imports. As Western nations continue to impose sanctions on Russia as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War, finding alternative options for fuel becomes crucial. According to Deputy National Security Advisor Daleep Singh, “This crisis underscores the urgency of speeding our transition to cleaner, more secure, renewable sources of energy like solar, wind, and hydrogen.”
Many have begun to call for companies and governments across the world to terminate their imports of Russian gas. Ultimately, this will further destabilize Russia’s economy. According to the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, 40% of Russia’s federal budget revenue is made up of taxes imposed by the government on corporations that manufacture oil and gas.
The U.S. targeted Russia’s lack of economic diversity by banning all oil and gas imports from Russia in early March 2022. Singh elaborated on this executive decision, saying that it was part of the U.S.’ “strategy to tighten the screws on Russia’s economy in order to make Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a strategic failure.” Many European countries have hinted that they will follow the U.S.’ lead. However, without a secure alternative in place, this could result in consequences, such as a spike in gas prices.
Short Term Solutions
In the short term, banning Russian gas imports in countries that rely heavily on this fuel, such as Italy and Germany, means that they will have to import liquified natural gas (LNG) from other nations, like the U.S. and Qatar.
Although natural gas is the most environmentally conscious fossil fuel, it still emits greenhouse gasses, which are central contributors to global warming. Furthermore, natural gas would likely be imported by pipelines, which also have environmental costs. Building pipelines results in erosion and damage to surrounding land. Additionally, breaches in pipelines can cause spills of hazardous liquids that result in the contamination of bodies of water and land. In a report by High Country News, gas pipeline leaks released 17.55 cubic feet of methane into the atmosphere in the U.S. from 2010 to 2017.
Long Term Solutions
Moving to clean energy sources like solar, wind, and green hydrogen is a long-term environmental goal for many European nations considering a ban on Russian natural gas imports.
Singh encouraged a shift to a clean energy supply chain, saying, “That means first of all gaining access to the inputs of clean energy. There are a few elements that are very important; lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, graphite.” These inputs can then be used to produce items like electric vehicle batteries, which encourage a shift away from gasoline-powered cars and therefore result in fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
Another option when looking to replace natural gas is green hydrogen. Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen atoms through electrolysis. Because it produces only water when burned, green hydrogen energy has no carbon footprint when renewable energy is used for electrolysis.
While a shift away from Russian oil and gas to clean energy will take time, countries are already setting goals for the future use of renewable energy. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Germany dedicated $8.1 billion toward their new National Hydrogen Strategy that lays out a plan to reach greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045. Countries including Japan, Netherlands, France, Norway, and Canada have also released hydrogen strategies, paving the way for a global shift toward clean energy.
Plenty of innovative green technologies exist and, if implemented, could halt an environmental catastrophe. The spotlight now falls on European nations and NATO at large to act on this opportunity and create the sustainable energy grid activists and scientists have been demanding for decades.
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