Climate Change: Climate Can’t Cope with Rush for Oil in the Face of Russian Aggression

Mar 22, 2022 | Nick Ferris, New Statesmen
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It is hard to grapple with just how rapidly the world needs to transform to avoid catastrophic climate change. Any sense of urgency is being lost, however, as politicians debate whether Russia’s invasion of Ukraine means we should speed up the journey to net zero greenhouse gas emissions or increase fossil fuel production. Only today (22 March), the BBC reported that Shell could rethink its decision not to develop the Cambo oilfield in the North Sea in the face of rising oil prices. The science is clear, though: to have a 50 per cent chance of global heating not exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, emissions must start to fall in the next ten years.