advertisement
|  Breaking News  |   Former Gov. George Ryan dies at 91

Ukraine war: boost or setback for climate efforts?

BERLIN (AP) - Luetzerath may be 1,000 miles from Ukraine, but it is an indirect victim of Russia's invasion and some fear so is Earth's climate.

The ancient hamlet in western Germany will soon be demolished along with a wind park to expand a nearby coal mine, despite protests from environmentalists who fear millions more tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide will be released into the atmosphere.

Their concerns were echoed recently by Antonio Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, who warned that 'œthe horrors of the war in Ukraine should not put climate action on the back burner.'ť

'œDoubling down on fossil fuels is not the answer,'ť he wrote on Twitter. "The only path to energy security, stable power prices and a livable planet lies in accelerating the renewable energy transition.'ť

But Germany's center-left government says the war in Ukraine means tough decisions need to be made on energy security and insists the nation's climate goals will be kept.

Luetzerath's days may be numbered, but the planet will be saved, officials argue.

Similar scenes are playing out across the world as countries try to fend off a feared energy crunch without betraying their long-term commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The question of whether the conflict in Ukraine will hasten or hinder the shift from fossil fuels to clean energy needed to keep global temperatures from reaching dangerous heights looms large ahead of next week's U.N. climate conference.

In Germany, Europe's biggest economy, officials point to new programs they say will massively increase sun and wind power generation. An even bigger plan by the European Union to wean itself off Russian gas could further boost the bloc's already-ambitious emissions reduction targets this decade, said Rachel Simon, a policy expert at campaign group CAN Europe.

In the United States, President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act has earmarked $375 billion for climate incentives that would slash the cost of installing renewable energy and shrink U.S. carbon emissions by as much as two-fifths until 2030.

Climate hawks say that won't be enough.

While greenhouse gas emissions are rising more slowly than before, recent reports show the trend remains upward when it needs to point sharply down. Rising fossil fuel subsidies to cushion the impact of high energy prices and efforts to tap new sources of gas, oil and coal will further drive up emissions, at least in the short term.

This means the amount of carbon dioxide that can still be released into the atmosphere before the world hits the limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) warming - agreed in the 2015 Paris climate accord - is being used up rapidly, expert say.

'œIt's incredibly risky because not only does it reduce even further the carbon budget, it sends exactly the wrong signals'ť said Johan Rockstrom, head of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research near Berlin.

Meanwhile, climate impacts already being felt worldwide - from fierce storms in the U.S. to extreme heat in Europe and worsening droughts in Africa - are hitting the poor hardest. Devastating floods in Pakistan have fueled calls for developing nations to receive climate compensation from big polluters.

Laden with debt and surging inflation, many vulnerable nations now find themselves struggling to pay for energy, let alone adapt to the effects of a warmer world, even as rich countries splurge on imports and new fossil fuel projects.

Experts say this could inflame tensions in Sharm el-Sheikh, undermining trust during the two-week U.N. talks that rely on consensus by all countries for any formal decision.

Russia could add further fuel to the fire. The world's biggest exporter of natural gas is at loggerheads with the West since its invasion of Ukraine, while China, the biggest-emitting country, insists it also has a right to burn more coal.

Even if negotiations by the Red Sea produce little progress, experts are hopeful the war in Ukraine has jolted complacent governments into speeding up the transition from fossil fuels to clean power.

The war is 'œthe perfect storm" for an accelerated path toward clean energy, said Rockstrom.

Laurie Bristow, Britain's former ambassador to Moscow, said the measures now being taken by countries such as Germany were encouraging because they end not just the decades-long reliance on Russian gas but commit to a much larger energy transition.

'œIt's the recognition that things could not go on as they were before,'ť he said. "And there are very big, very serious policy decisions in there.'ť

That's little consolation to Elizabeth Wathuti, a Kenyan environmentalist, who visited Germany's Garzweiler coal mine near Luetzerath with other activists last month.

'œI've been very overwhelmed to see what is happening right behind me,'ť she said during the visit.

Wathuti said she couldn't understand how Germany could justify burning more coal when the impacts of climate change are already becoming apparent.

'œFor my community and for my country, this is a life and death situation,'ť she told The Associated Press. "We cannot afford to continue investing in fossil fuels at the expense of people's lives and livelihoods who have even done the least to cause this crisis.'ť

'œIf anything, it's only going to cause more devastation and more losses, more damages to my community,'ť she said.

___

Follow AP's climate and environment coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

___

Bram Janssen in Luetzerath, Germany, and Dana Beltaji in London contributed to this report.

FILE - A gas pipeline stands over the road leading to a destroyed coal mine in the middle of a minefield at the frontline near Mar'inka, eastern Ukraine, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. Analysts say the war has accelerated the path toward clean energy in Europe as the continent works to wean itself off Russian supplies, although there are concerns from climate hawks this isn't happening fast enough. (AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov, File) The Associated Press
FILE - Activist Elizabeth Wathuti, of Kenya, talks to the media at the Garzweiler open-cast coal mine near Luetzerath, western Germany, Oct. 16, 2022. About 1,000 miles away from Ukraine, Luetzerath is an indirect victim of the war as the town will soon make way for the expansion of a nearby coal mine. Wathuti said she couldn't understand how Germany could justify burning more coal when the impacts of climate change are already becoming apparent. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File) The Associated Press
Signage promoting this year's United Nations global summit on climate change, known as COP27, adorns Peace Road, in Sharm el-Sheikh, South Sinai, Egypt, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Thomas Hartwell) The Associated Press
FILE - A flock of sheep graze in front of a coal-fired power plant at the Garzweiler open-cast coal mine near Luetzerath, western Germany, Sunday Oct. 16, 2022. About 1,000 miles away from Ukraine, Luetzerath is an indirect victim of the war as the town will soon make way for the expansion of a nearby coal mine. Environmentalists have been up in arms about the decision which would pump millions more tons of planet-warming carbon dioxide into the air. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File) The Associated Press
FILE - Activists Luisa Neubauer, from Germany, right, and Elizabeth Wathuti, from Kenya, talk to the media at a news conference at the Garzweiler open-cast coal mine near Luetzerath, western Germany, Sunday Oct. 16, 2022. About 1,000 miles away from Ukraine, Luetzerath is an indirect victim of the war as the town will soon make way for the expansion of a nearby coal mine. Wathuti said she couldn't understand how Germany could justify burning more coal when the impacts of climate change are already becoming apparent. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File) The Associated Press
Johan Rockstrom, head of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) The Associated Press
FILE - Workman with Power Shift Solar put solar panels on a house Aug. 10, 2022, in Salt Lake City. In the United States, President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act has earmarked $375 billion for climate incentives that would slash the cost of installing renewable energy and shrink U.S. carbon emissions by as much as two-fifths until 2030. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) The Associated Press
FILE - A woman works at a coal depot in Ahmedabad, India, May 2, 2022. The question of whether the conflict in Ukraine will hasten or hinder the shift from fossil fuels to clean energy needed to keep global temperatures from reaching dangerous heights looms large ahead of next week's U.N. climate conference. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki, File) The Associated Press
Steam rises from the coal-fired power plant Niederaussem, Germany, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022. Analysts say the war has accelerated the path toward clean energy in Europe as the continent works to wean itself off Russian supplies, although there are concerns from climate hawks this isn't happening fast enough. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) The Associated Press
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.