War in Ukraine Boosts the EU’s Energy Transition

Mar 7, 2022 | Alexander Verbeek
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This week feels like living in November 1989 or September 2001; the news cycle moves so fast that you can’t keep track. So you follow every newsflash but miss the time to put it all in perspective. Yesterday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced that the main parliamentary parties had agreed that Denmark should become independent of Russian gas “as soon as possible.” Meanwhile, in Germany, the Finance Minister announced that Germany had earmarked 200 billion euros ($220 billion) to fund industrial transformation between now and 2026.These are just two examples of European countries drastically changing their energy policies, decisions that go hand in hand with radical changes in their defense policies.The Russian invasion of Ukraine has dominated the news and pushed the IPCC report from the front pages. The BBC interviewed a leading Ukrainian scientist who is now sheltering with her family in her apartment in Kyiv. Dr. Svitlana Krakovska, a member of the IPCC, said that the war is closing the window of opportunity for the world to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.The impacts of the war in Ukraine will also impact our future energy sources, climate action, and renewable energy investments.