Can we choose between the energy and climate crisis?The bugaboo of fossil fuels returns

“Hypocritical” to ask EU countries not to use fossil fuels to heat homes and move industry, says Timmermans.Energy transition on pause but we must not lose hope.

• In a recent interview with the British newspaper Guardian, the executive vice-president for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, endorsed the use of fossil fuels to counter the effects of the Russian invasion in Ukraine
• The aim is to ensure warm homes for European citizens and the full functioning of the EU production system
• There is no need to fear, Timmermans assures, the objective of containing global temperatures will not be compromised

THE'surge of energy prices which is plaguing the European Union will bring with it “very, very strong conflicts and wars”.Return to burning fossil fuels it is the only way to avoid drifting in civil unrest next winter, when for heat homes of European citizens fear not being able to open their doors Moscow gas taps.The risk is palpable, considering the closure for ten days (or perhaps more) for maintenance of the pipeline Nord Stream 1, which reaches Western Europe from Russia via the Baltic Sea and Germany.The return to coal, however, will not undermine the objective of containing the increase in global temperature at 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels, reiterated at the climate summit Cop26 in Glasgow last November.

Stopping fossil fuels would increase tensions in the EU

One should bow one's head if even one of the most fervent supporters of the energy transition at European level takes a step back.In ainterview with the British newspaper Guardian, Frans Timmermans, the executive vice president for the European Green Deal and Vice President of the European Commission, as well as the second most senior EU official, doesn't beat around the bush:the'invasion of Ukraine on the part of Vladimir Putin will not slow down the energy transition but addressing the consequences of conflict takes precedence over containing the effects of climate crisis.“If we had to say enough to coal at this time we would not be very convincing for some of our Member States and would contribute to further growth of the tensions within our company,” says Timmermans.

“Before global warming we think about domestic heating”

Putin is scarier than global warming?“If one of the world's major energy producers causes this disruption, as Russia is doing right now, obviously the rest of the world will be restless” and this will be reflected in “the possibility of making further commitments on reducing our emissions given.”

“I have been in politics long enough, for over 30 years, to understand that people are mainly concerned with the immediate crisis and not the long-term one,” the European official remarks.There Germany is the clear example:on the eve of the invasion of Ukraine, the EU's strongest economy depended on imports from Moscow for 40 percent of its gas consumption, while today it has returned to burning coal to increase electricity production.And the spokesperson of the country, the German chancelleries Olaf Scholz, pushes in the direction of a collective rethink on investments in projects related to gas.

Inflation and uncertainty in energy markets:fossil fuels make room

“It would be hypocritical” to ask or impose on those who own fossil fuels not to exploit them in order to face the immediate challenge of finding alternatives to Russian gas, as well as curbing exploration in some parts of theAfrica, he reiterated.High energy and food prices fuels, increasingly expensive foodstuffs, inflation:the uncertainty will not stop, “Putin is using all the means at his disposal to create conflicts in our societies, so we must prepare for a very difficult period.”If civil unrest breaks out "we will certainly not get where we need to get" and, indeed, we will play into Putin's hands.

At European level there seems to be excellent room for manoeuvre:to the detriment of expectations, theEuropean Parliament he voted (in the second instance) to let him back in gas And nuclear inside the European taxonomy for the sustainable finance.

Act strategically?Only if renewable energy is pushed

Environmental associations are firmly against it:for months Greenpeace Italy, Legambiente and WWF Italy continue to reiterate that (even more so) in the face of war, the increase in the cost of raw materials and the problems of supply, we need to react structural way and not with apparently simple solutions that risk perpetuating the problems caused by pollution.

"There unacceptable solution is the reopening of coal power plants:Italy is playing not only its credibility, but also many of its greenhouse gas reductions that it must implement on compliance with the commitment to close all gas power plants by 2025", they highlight in a joint press note.

In addition to being the easiest route, that of fossil fuels, in particular gas, is also the most burdensome both in environmental and cheap:“The increase in gas infrastructure would be a waste of resources”, also considering that the “regasifiers that we have, we pay for them in the bill because they are underused", the associations point out.

Brake applied on Cop27

Keeping European citizens warm and ensuring the full functioning of industry is now a priority:Timmermans aims to announce that it is "out of danger" by November 1st at the latest.And on the progress of Cop27, the United Nations conference on climate change next November in Sharm el-Sheikh, use social security:the Nations that will sit at the negotiating table have not yet developed incisive plans for containing the global increase in temperature and "there is not much desire to increase the NDCs", the Determined contributions at level national which reflect the promise of more serious and severe climate plans.There is also "a lot of frustration in developing countries about the funds promised and not yet fully available".Coal will have to be used.It's hard not to get discouraged.