The UN Climate Chief, Simon Stiell, says that recent events in the Middle East have shown the dangers of Europe´s dependency on imported fossil fuel.
“Recent weeks have delivered yet another abject lesson,” UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell told the Green Growth Summit in Brussels.
“Fossil fuel dependency is ripping away national security and sovereignty, and replacing it with subservience and rising costs. And Europe is more reliant on fossil fuel imports than almost any other major economy.”
The costs amounted to €420 billion in 2024 alone.
It will happen again and again
“Fossil fuel dependency means economies, household budgets, and business bottom lines at the mercy of geopolitical shocks and price volatility in a chaotic world.
A world of trade turmoil, strong-arm politics, and war.”
Stiell pointed out that electricity prices are spiralling and inflation will likely return.
“Because war in the Middle East has sent the oil and gas price soaring. Just as war in Ukraine did before.”
At the same time, renewable energy was clearly cheaper, safer, and faster to market.
“Because history tells us, this fossil fuel crisis will happen again and again. In this new world disorder, where some major powers do as they please, unconstrained by economic logic or current alliances.”
Renewable turn the table
He said continued dependence on fossil fuel imports will leave Europe forever lurching from crisis to crisis, with households and industries literally paying the price.
“But renewables turn the tables. Sunlight doesn’t depend on narrow and vulnerable shipping straits. Wind blows without massive taxpayer-funded naval escorts.
Renewable energy allows countries to insulate themselves from global turmoil, and to side-step might-is-right politics.”
In addition, the Climate Chief said renewable energy was good business.
“Europe can permanently seize the multi-trillion-euro goldmine of investment that’s just getting started.”
