Much of Russia's war funding comes from oil and gas exports: it is Europe's responsibility to block them in order to try to stop the slaughter and help the environment
Actually reduce the energy dependence on Russia, through a blocking of air and car traffic activated at EU level within the European Union, could represent a strong and definitive measure against the war threats operated by the Moscow government - according to what was declared in an independent report just released .
Indeed, Europe could quickly end its dependence on oil and gas from Russia only by taking strong measures - such as energy rationing in the various EU countries, the imposition of a maximum temperature limit on domestic thermostats in winter, the limitation of private traffic and air flights. These precautions, in addition to damaging Russia, would help to contain polluting emissions and fight the climate crisis.
As explained by the authors of the report, a large part of the proceeds of the Russian economy derive fromexport of fossil fuels - primarily natural gas: just think that, in the last year alone, the European Union imported over 155 billion cubic meters of gas from Russia. Needless to say, the money earned from the sale of fuels is funding military action against Ukraine and the deaths of thousands of civilians.
We have given Ukraine almost 1 billion euros to allow the country to arm itself - underlined the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. - It might seem like a lot, but 1 billion euros is what we pay Putin every day for the energy he provides. Since the start of the war, we have paid Russia over 35 billion euros.
Obviously, it is impossible to eliminate Russian fuels from the European budget overnight, with a snap of the fingers. There is a need for time, for a coordinated plan and, above all, for alternative energy solutions to those proposed by Moscow: Europe more than ever must be compact in adopting a common line and "tighten its belt" in a unitary way.
(Read also: Climate crisis, car and airline advertisements take us away from emissions reduction targets)
To try to move in this direction, the International Energy Agency (IEA) shared some points to put into practice to immediately reduce the demand for oil and natural gas addressed to Russia: among these the improvement of local transport networks public (to reduce the use of private cars), the reduction of speed limits on the roads and the reduction of business flights.
However, according to the report's authors, these measures would reduce gas demand by about 2,7 million barrels per day - a paltry amount compared to Moscow's total exports. In short, there is a need for a much more substantial commitment to reduce Russia's earnings from the sale of fuels by at least a quarter.
Hence the proposal to ban all types of flights within European borders and to limit the use of private cars only to large journeys between cities, prohibiting it on the urban territory: these two large "blocks" could double the reduction of oil consumption in addition to that proposed by the IEA.
HERE you can read the complete report.
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Fonti: The Guardian / Swich off Putin
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