A Shift to Clean Energy Would Halt Russia's Petro-Thuggery and More

Feb 28, 2022 | Jonathan Overpeck
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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is putting 44 million innocent lives in danger and threatening the sovereignty of a democratically governed country.

Oil and gas prices were already rising steadily before the invasion, stoking higher profits and global-scale inflation. 

The U.S. might genuinely have to come to the rescue of Europe with massive deliveries of fossil fuels if Russia follows through on threats to cut gas deliveries to Europe.

Avoiding future wars and petro-thuggery is reason enough to move beyond the era of fossil fuels in favor of renewable energy, storage and the electrification of almost everything. This clean energy world will also mean more affordable energy for everyone. Existing technologies (e.g., wind, solar and battery storage) will be augmented by emerging technologies such as “green” hydrogen generated using renewable energy for those few endeavors that can’t be electrified. A recent study confirmed that this clean energy future also will mean fewer power outages.

We need to accelerate this transition. By supporting a transition to renewable energy, Congress has the power to free the United States and the world from the evils of fossil fuels _ not just the risks from climate extremes and pollution, but also war, blackmail and petro-thuggery.