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The war in Ukraine complicates our war with climate change

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine only adds more heat to the econonic and political ramifications of climate change.

Who will be the judge of countries' climate plans?
There is no formal organisation tasked with making sure individual nations' climate plans are on track - Copyright AFP Bertha WANG
There is no formal organisation tasked with making sure individual nations' climate plans are on track - Copyright AFP Bertha WANG

War and politics have taken center stage, coming at a time when scientists are warning of the dire consequences of not reducing emissions from oil and other fossil fuels.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine two weeks ago, an act that has united the world against Vladimir Putin, came at about the same time another stark report from the UN’s climate change panel was published.

With many western nations banning the import of Russian oil, which accounts for about 10 percent of the global supply, the price of oil and gasoline has spiked, not only leading to pain at the pumps but volatility in financial markets and calls for increased oil production outside Russia.

And with oil and gas prices soaring globally, this is a boon to those who extract and sell the very products that drive fatal heatwaves, wildfires, and sea-level rise.

“What we’re hearing is governments focusing very urgently on this short-term need, but they’re also being clear that this is going to happen at the same time as a longer-term transition to clean energy,” said Lisa Friedman, a reporter on the New York Times climate desk.

The US government has called on American oil producers to ramp up output to bring down prices, but industry officials say it is difficult to do so quickly
Image: – Copyright AFP Stefani Reynolds

The U.S. vs climate change and politics

In the United States, according to the New York Times, President Joe Biden’s ambitious climate legislation has been blocked by unanimous Republican opposition as well as a senator from his own party, Joe Manchin.

Manchin, who represents the coal-producing state of West Virginia, has strong backing from the fossil fuel industry. Added to this, the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a case that began this week that could restrict the federal government’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

While climate change was barely mentioned in Biden’s State of the Union address last week, the President did say he would release 30 million gallons of U.S. oil reserves in an attempt to keep gas prices down.

However, energy experts said that Mr. Biden missed an opportunity to connect the war in Ukraine to the need to more swiftly sever an economic reliance on fossil fuels.

“The president did not articulate the long-term opportunity for the U.S. to lead the world in breaking free of the geopolitical nightmare that is oil dependency,” said Paul Bledsoe, a strategic adviser to the Progressive Policy Institute, a Washington-based think tank.

A LNG tanker docked at an offloading facility in the Netherlands
A LNG tanker docked at an offloading facility in the Netherlands – Copyright AFP/File DENIS CHARLET

Canada and its climate and energy policies

Canada’s climate change policies have taken an abrupt turn into the political realm. As CBC Canada notes, Europe relies on Russia for a significant amount of its energy resources, while the Russian economy is tied to the profits from its energy exports.

But keep in mind that Canada, the UK, and the U.S. have all banned imports of Russian fossil fuels. With that in mind, Canada is looking to export Canadian oil and liquefied natural gas to Europe – or so the thinking goes.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown wrote to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to suggest that she delay the annual increase in the federal carbon tax, slated to take effect on April 1. “Now is the wrong time for any new burden,” he said.

While this may seem like a strange request, it could be that Brown is shoring up his reasons to be considered as he’s about to enter the Conservative Party’s leadership race.

If Brown really was interested in climate change and federal carbon tax, then he would know that the higher carbon fee will add 2.2 cents per litre to the price of gas, but – nearly all of the revenue collected is rebated back to households in provinces covered by the federal policy.

Actually, Brown’s call for a suspension of the carbon tax echoes the calls by federal Conservatives and conservative provincial governments in Alberta, New Brunswick, and Ontario – all of them assuming that climate policy is unnecessary, writes CBC Canada.

The whole idea of a temporary suspension of the carbon tax could set a bad precedent, seeing as Canada is working very hard to reach the target date of 2050 for bringing the world’s greenhouse gas emissions down to net zero.

Next week, officials in Brussels are due to announce a new energy strategy aimed at weaning the continent off Russian gas. A draft of the report was seen by the New York Times.

The report views imports of liquefied natural gas, or L.N.G., from the United States, Canada, and elsewhere as a short-term measure to offset Russian piped gas. So Canada’s Conservatives might want to rethink their idea of spending billions to supply Europe with something that might not be profitable.

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We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our dear friend Karen Graham, who served as Editor-at-Large at Digital Journal. She was 78 years old. Karen's view of what is happening in our world was colored by her love of history and how the past influences events taking place today. Her belief in humankind's part in the care of the planet and our environment has led her to focus on the need for action in dealing with climate change. It was said by Geoffrey C. Ward, "Journalism is merely history's first draft." Everyone who writes about what is happening today is indeed, writing a small part of our history.

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