It would be possible for Europe to quickly end its dependence on oil and gas from Russia by taking strong action, according to a report by climate adviser Mark Lynas, energy analyst Rauli Partanen and energy and sustainability expert Joris van Dorp. Policies include a bulletin, with everyone in Europe allowed to use the same minimum amount of energy and limit thermostats to 18 C in winter. “The biggest problem is gas. “Europe imported a total of 155 billion cubic meters of gas from Russia last year,” the authors said. Critics of EU oil and gas policy have pointed out that hydrocarbon sales are financing the war in Ukraine. Even top EU diplomat Josep Borrell recently said: “We have given Ukraine almost 1 billion euros. This may seem like a lot, but 1 billion euros is what we pay Putin every day for the energy he provides. Since the beginning of the war, we have given him 35 billion euros [£29bn]compared to the 1 billion euros we gave to Ukraine to arm itself. “ The report’s authors said: “We conclude that it is possible to eliminate Russian gas imports starting immediately from Europe. “This will require an unprecedented level of European solidarity, a combination of a Marshall Plan and Berlin Air Transport to redistribute energy across the continent as needed and support the transition.” The International Energy Agency recently published a 10-point plan to reduce demand for oil use in OECD countries, with proposals such as subsidized public transport, lower speed limits and reduced business flights. The authors of the latest report by the RePlanet Research Institute, however, say such measures would reduce demand by 2.7 million barrels a day in advanced economies, far less than Russia’s oil exports to Europe. The authors argue that we need to go further and say that they have worked out how to eliminate 25% of total oil use in Europe. “We are proposing bans on all commercial flights, private jets and domestic flights within Europe to save oil, as well as bans on car use within cities,” they said. “This must be combined with free public transport. “Although the effects of this are not easily quantified, we believe that this could double the reduction in oil use beyond that proposed by the ILO.” To replace the gas Europe buys from Russia, the authors propose measures such as halting the phasing out of nuclear weapons in Germany, Sweden and Belgium, reducing heating in buildings by 4 degrees Celsius and rapidly developing additional solar and wind production. These policies could be popular in Europe. A new poll by Savanta ComRes found that 41% of respondents in the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, France, Sweden and the Netherlands said they “strongly agreed” that their country should immediately stop buys Russian oil and gas. Only 6.4% strongly disagreed. Just over 40% said they would be ready to accept the energy bulletin to manage demand and 52.7% said they would eat less meat to reduce demand in Ukraine’s exports. “Europe sends more than 500 million euros every day directly to the Kremlin because we continue to import huge quantities of Russian oil, gas and coal. “This situation can not continue,” said the report’s authors. “It’s morally and politically unfounded for Europe to fund Putin’s war machine – paying for the same rockets and bombs raining down on Ukrainian schools and hospitals – at the same time that it is supposed to unite to stop Putin through sanctions. There is only one solution. “We must cut off this torrent of money that we are sending to the Kremlin by immediately stopping the import of Russian fossil fuels.”
