Europe feels the heat but must power towards net-zero

As Europe faces potential energy scarcity and soaring prices amid a scorching hot summer, the pressure to suspend climate goals could become enormous. Some countries are quietly talking about firing back up their coal plants while others are desperately trying to stockpile enough gas for the coming winter, regardless of the source or other concerns.

But many are determined to fight the temptation to suspend climate goals, as demonstrated by the just-concluded Connecting Europe Days summit in Lyon, France, where all sorts of sustainable transport were celebrated, studied and used, even electric cars that travelled 2,500 km to prove they have the range and Europe has the recharging infrastructure.

Despite the current pressure, Europe needs to accelerate, not suspend, efforts to reach net zero.

That was also the message delivered on the sidelines of the recent G7 conference in southern Germany, where new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz seemed to feel the heat most.

Alex Scott, a programme leader at climate change think-tank E3G, said the G-7 demonstrated global collaboration to tackle the climate crisis, but some heads of state are forgetting to demonstrate that at home.

“Chancellor Scholz has failed to mobilize new climate commitments from G7 leaders, leaving a huge gap for them to fill in the next four months to have credibility come COP27”, the next United Nations Climate Change Conference, which was delayed from 2021 due to the pandemic.

Scott’s colleague Johannes Schroeten, a policy advisor at E3G, says that “Chancellor Scholz’s attempt to carve out large exemptions from the COP26 statement on international public support has been averted – but only just. The G-7 has just wasted this golden opportunity to accelerate the end of international fossil fuel public finance.”

One of the big concerns for climate change activists is continued investment in fossil fuel infrastructure as nations seek additional gas supplies. Germany, for example, does not have even a single terminal to accommodate liquefied natural gas shipments. Climate activists are worried that once an ad-hoc investment in infrastructure is made it could continue to run to justify the initial effort and expenditure.

“We’re getting signals that some are rowing back” on their green energy transition commitment, Scott from E3G told the press. ‘It was a big triumph getting Japan to sign up to ending investment in overseas fossil fuels. We’re worried Germany could now water down the language because of the urgency they feel in replacing short-term gas supplies.”

Another question is how many European nations are quietly planning to bring back decommissioned coal plants. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned against suspending climate initiatives in just that scenario.

“We have to make sure that we use this crisis to move forward and not to have a backsliding on dirty fossil fuels,” she said.

Reports say fossil fuel companies are capitalizing on energy security anxieties to lobby hard for long-term infrastructure investments. “That’s the battle we’re in right now,” said Jennifer Morgan, ambassador at large for climate change in the German Foreign Ministry and a former president of Greenpeace International. “We’re in a moment of massive disruption due to the invasion, and that’s either a big risk or it’s a big opening on the climate.”

Some published reports contend Germany, Austria, Italy and the Netherlands will all resurrect old coal plants, but not nuclear facilities. Germany is still planning to shut down its last two nuclear plants later this year.

Jon Van Housen and Mariella Radaelli are international veteran journalists based in Italy