Will the move away from Russian energy speed up renewable energy development?
A view of hardware of the Jauniunai Gas Compressor station, near Vilnius, Lithuania, on May 5, 2022. Europeans are trying to fill underground reserves while still cutting use of Russian natural gas over the war in Ukraine. It’s a big job because there’s not a lot of gas available in a tight global market. More gas export terminals will come online in 2024 to supply liquid gas by ship. But for now, plans to cut gas use from Russia and still fill reserves is a tall order.
The World’s Memorial Day special is focusing on energy. Much of the world is working to wean itself off of Russian energy in the short-term, which in some cases means building up new fossil fuel infrastructure to secure supplies from different countries. At the same time, countries are struggling to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but falling behind on climate targets. Which raises a question: Will the move away from Russian energy speed up the development of renewable energy sources, or lock-in dependency on fossil fuels for longer? Also, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this year, many European countries are refocusing their energy independence efforts to nuclear power. And, here’s what we largely know how to decarbonize, and what we don’t — yet.