Editorial: Peace a prerequisite for a sustainable Europe

Like many others, I have a hard time focusing on anything else than the Russian war against Ukraine right now. AirClim has been working for a long time together with the environmental movement in both Ukraine and Russia. What is happening now is nothing but a tragedy for both people and the environment throughout the region.

In the previous issue a Ukrainian ecologist wrote about ocean acidification in the Black Sea. We have also had an article about the opportunities for an energy transition in Ukraine. One of my colleagues had planned to go to Ukraine to participate to workshops on setting up a national network of air pollution monitors, the same week as the invasion began. All this important work for biodiversity, climate policy and cleaner air has now had to halt.

The longer the war lasts, the more difficult it will be to resume work for a sustainable environment. In addition, there are great risks that the war will lead to severe environmental damage. As I write this one of the country’s nuclear power plants is burning following Russian shelling.

Turning to the Russian environmental movement, they have been facing major difficulties for quite some time. Organisations that receive grants from abroad have long been classified as “foreign agents”.  The relative freedom of speech that has existed in Russia has been severely curtailed since the outbreak of war.

Another side of the coin is the dependence on inputs such as oil, gas and fertilisers, all of which are important export products for Russia. For example, neither India nor Brazil, have taken a stand against Russia. It is certainly not the only reason but both countries rely on Russian fertilisers for their domestic agriculture. And the dependence of most EU countries on Russian gas and oil is widely known. A leading energy adviser at IEA recommends that Europeans turn down their thermostats by one degree to save on gas and reduce dependency on Russian imports¹.

The security policy argument has put a fast conversion to renewables and the decommissioning of fossil fuels high on the political agenda. The German government’s decision to halt the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was a first step.  But it must be followed by more concrete measures to stop all fossil fuel imports from Russia

When it comes to synthetic fertilisers it is easy to intuitively think that sky-rocketing world market prices would lead to a reduction in use. But it is not that simple. As Russia and Ukraine account for a significant share of global exports of wheat and maize, the prices of these raw materials are rising. This in turn means that it is likely to remain profitable for farmers to use large amounts of fertiliser. Another consequence is significantly higher food prices.  Several power-wielders, including the Agriculture Commissioner², now want to use this development as an excuse to water down the environment ambition in the Farm to Fork strategy. However, preserving Europe’s input-dependent agriculture means continued support for Putin.

Yet another factor that this crisis brings with it is increased spending on military defence, at a time when we really need to be spending large sums on the climate transition instead.

We are committed to working for peace and democracy, since this is a prerequisite for a sustainable future throughout Europe.

Kajsa Pira

¹ The Guardian 3 March https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/03/turn-down-heating-re...
² Statement by Janusz Wojciechowski  2 March 2022  https://twitter.com/gerardofortuna/status/1499084279304933379