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.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck termed the squeeze in gas supplies an “attack on us”. Europe’s biggest economy responded by putting its energy sector on the second-highest level of alert, one step away from rationing.

Germany said it still plans to entirely stop coal use by 2030, but environmental groups are skeptical. Returning to coal “is a bad choice”, said Neil Makaroff, of Climate Action Network, an umbrella organization for such groups.

“Countries are continuing to back fossil energy rather than investing enough in renewables,” he said. “The risk is substituting one dependency for another – importing Colombian or Australian coal, US or Qatari liquefied natural gas to replace Russian hydrocarbons.”

As industrialized nations try to swear off their addiction to hydrocarbons, the familiar fuel is so alluring and institutionalized that even the best intentions can succumb to temptation. A novel initiative launched by a group of young climate change victims seeks to blunt one of the pressure points.

Last week they began legal action in Europe’s top human rights court against an energy treaty that they say protects fossil fuel investors. The five plaintiffs aged between 17 and 31 – who have experienced devastating floods, forest fires and hurricanes – are bringing the case to argue their governments’ membership in an energy treaty that enables fossil fuel companies to sue governments for lost profits is a barrier to climate change initiatives.

It’s just one in a range of actions underway as Europe swelters in unseasonably hot weather. As if to underscore the reality of climate change, a bizarre accident triggered by a melting glacier in the Dolomites of Italy claimed the lives of at least six last weekend, with as many as 15 still missing.

Rescue crews, scientists and meteorologists all said abnormally hot weather is to blame for the tragic incident that saw an outcrop give way and send an avalanche of rock, ice, snow and debris surging onto climbers.

Although the pressures are enormous, the fight against climate change has to continue at full speed. Experts are already worried that even without delays the climate could reach a tipping point of no return.

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