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Fostering peace and energy security on a hotter planet
Above the Water Line
1
Sally Bethea
Sally Bethea
is the retired
executive director
of Chattahoochee
Riverkeeperand
an environmental
and sustainability
advocate.
There is such joy in the greenness
of spring and the revival of the natural
world — as ephemeral wildflowers and
ferns emerge from piles of last autumn’s
fallen leaves; as buds open and leaves
unfurl on tree branches; and as birdsong,
sweet smells, and warmer air bring
feelings of hope after the dark, cold
winter.
I rejoice in this season of rebirth,
grateful for my growing garden and
for my family’s safety and freedom in
our democratic nation. Biologist and
nature writer Rachel Carson observed:
“There is something infinitely healing
in the repeated refrains of nature—the
assurance that dawn comes after night,
and spring after winter.”
This spring, there is also great sadness
— the tragedy of Ukraine. Families and
children are fleeing their homes to escape
death and destruction: refugees from the
most recent example of the utter madness
of war. The courage of the people in
Ukraine, and others who are risking their
lives to help them, takes my breath away.
Their brave actions are inspiring millions
of people around the world, as they
defend their country from an existential
threat.
War, climate,
and fossil fuels
Like other wars in the past century,
this Russo-Ukrainian conflict reveals a
root cause that enables Vladimir Putin’s
aggression and largely dictates the
political and military responses of other
countries: the control of fossil fuels. For
more than 150 years, the oil, gas, and
coal formed in the geological past from
the remains of living organisms (fossil
fuels) have powered labor-saving and
life-enhancing technologies. The burning
of these hydrocarbons has brought
prosperity to many, but not all, and
extreme wealth and power to a few.
Petroleum — its value and distribution
— has become a dangerous weapon in
the hands of those who crave absolute
power and obscene wealth, exemplified
by authoritarian petrostates like Russia,
which supplies forty percent of Europe’s
gas and eight percent of America’s
imports. Along with international
banks, Big Oil (the largest oil and gas
companies) has inspired and enabled
political strategies that have fueled armed
conflict and now rising seas, as the planet
heats. We have known these things for a
long time, but — mired in disinformation
and lacking political will — we have
taken little more than incremental steps
to achieve a safer, more peaceful, and
carbon-free future.
Climate activist Bill McKibben
describes the conflict in eastern Europe
as “a war underwritten by oil and gas,”
noting “the heart of Russia’s power... is
almost entirely based on its production
of gas and oil.” The late Sen. John
McCain noted: “Russia is a gas station
masquerading as a country.” Europe’s
heavy reliance on Russian gas has placed
its countries in a precarious position
regarding the decisions they make
to defend democratic Ukraine and
themselves.
Understanding that the transition to
renewables and energy security cannot
be instantaneous, European countries are
building liquified natural gas terminals
to receive gas from other countries for
near-term needs. President Biden has
been urged to use the Defense Protection
Act to get American manufacturers
to produce cost-effective electric heat
pumps in quantity for shipment to
Europe, dubbed “Pleat Pumps for Peace.”
Experts say that a massive surge in the
deployment of renewable energy (solar,
wind, hydropower) could combat Russia’s
grip on the world’s energy economy
and fight the climate crisis. Oil and gas
markets have always been volatile, while
clean energy is affordable and reliable.
The European Union is moving to
upscale production of renewable energy
and bolster energy efficiency measures,
expressed in a new ten-point plan. “What
is at stake is both the need to accelerate
our fight against climate change and the
energy security and independence of
the European continent,” said a French
official. In the U.S., the Build Back
Better program, proposed by the Biden
Administration, has faltered — thanks
largely to a coal millionaire named Joe
Manchin. The climate portion of this
bold initiative includes $555 billion to
move the American economy away from
its reliance on fossil fuels and toward
distributed, community-led energy
solutions.
A decision point
Can we finally muster the collective
courage — like the Ukrainian people — to
defend ourselves, future generations,
and our planet from the horrors of war
and the devastation of a hotter world?
Can we acknowledge our addiction to
petroleum and support a rapid transition
to renewable energy sources? Our parents
and grandparents faced hardships,
political upheaval, and dramatic change
during the Great Depression, then World
War II, to make the world a better
place. Can we match their fortitude and
courage to deal with the existential crises
we face today, knowing that there will be
personal sacrifices like those they made?
Not surprisingly, the invasion of
Ukraine has triggered a push by Big
Oil and its allies to ramp up fuel
production, secure more subsidies,
and loosen regulations to allow new
domestic drilling — although thousands
of approved drilling permits remain
unused. Climate advocates hope that
the Russo-Ukrainian war will provoke
greater support for clean energy sources,
including an aggressive program to
develop a network of zero-emission,
electric vehicles. Clean energy is not
only now affordable and reliable, but
also essential to the future of human
habitation of our planet.
A recent report from the U.N.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change concludes that about half of
the world’s population is now “acutely
vulnerable to disasters stemming from
the burning of fossil fuels.” Caring about
the people of Ukraine, ourselves, and the
rest of the world means working to bring
an eventual end to our enslavement to
oil and gas. We are at a critical decision
point.
As each of us commits to do what we
can to help foster peace and an energy-
secure world, we should inspire our
efforts by taking time to go outside and
experience the infinite healing powers
and possibilities of spring. DU
22 APRIL 2022 | Id
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