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Ukraine war impact on climate pledges

Europe is scrambling to replace Russia fossil fuels. Markets have been rocked. What does it mean for the climate?

The war in Ukraine has prompted a global reordering of energy markets as Europe looks to replace gas and oil imports from Russia. A few days after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the UN issued a dire warning about the devastating consequences of climate change. The war has complicated the picture further. So, will events in Ukraine derail the green energy transition countries signed up to at COP26 just six months ago?
Some African countries would like to step in as Europe scrambles for alternative sources of energy. But much of the energy they'd provide is carbon based. So, are these just short term setbacks that could be overshadowed by a longer term move away from cheap Russian energy supplies? And what happens to climate change cooperation if the war is driving a wedge between the West and Russia? Ritula Shah and a panel of guests discuss how Russia's war in Ukraine will impact efforts to fight climate change.

Available now

49 minutes

Last on

Sat 7 May 2022 14:06GMT

Contributors

Panel:

Maria Pastukhova - Senior Policy Advisor working on energy diplomacy and energy transition at E3G, an independent climate change think tank in Berlin.

Jan Rosenow - European Director at The Regulatory Assistance Project, which focuses on the transition to green energy. He's also an honorary research associate at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute.

Jonathan Elkind - Senior research scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University and a former energy adviser to Barack Obama’s administration.

Also featuring:

Lazare Beullac - North Africa Editor, Africa Intelligence 

Zoe Mayer -MP with the German Green Party 

Photo

A steel worker stands next to glowing steel cast at a German steel casting firm that depends on Russian natural gas. REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen

Broadcasts

  • Fri 6 May 2022 09:06GMT
  • Fri 6 May 2022 23:06GMT
  • Sat 7 May 2022 03:06GMT
  • Sat 7 May 2022 14:06GMT

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