Europe accelerating away from fossil fuels despite Ukraine war, says Eamon Ryan

Europe has not given up on its emissions targets because of the war in Ukraine and a shortfall in gas due to switching from Russian supplies, according to Minister for Climate Eamon Ryan.

Speaking at a Cop27 briefing on the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA), he rejected accusations this “shows security trumps climate”.

While energy ministers had to keep the lights on and keep factories open in their countries, Mr Ryan added: “Do not misjudge what’s happening in Europe and, I believe, the rest of the world; what’s happening because of this war is going to mean an acceleration in investment and roll-out of renewable power as an alternative”.

The gas gap could be closed without compromising on climate commitments, as was indicated by the EU increasing its 2030 reduction target from 55 to 57 per cent, he said. The clear intent was the political imperative of renewable energy as the only secure alternative to fossil fuels, he said.

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“That is going to be the legacy of this war,” Mr Ryan said. This was indicated by the big supply side change of offshore wind and solar at scale that would require big investment. That should include reallocating the $4 trillion in profits of the oil and gas sector, he believed.

BOGA, which Ireland is a member of, was announced last year with much fanfare at Cop26 in Glasgow – it aims to plot the path to the end of oil and gas.

As a next step on from its BOGA membership, Friends of the Earth (FoE) said it was pushing for Ireland to be the first EU country to endorse a global Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.

“We’re also calling for Ireland to champion an explicit reference to phasing out of coal, oil and gas in the Cop27 cover text, which would be a historic Cop first. [It] must build on the cover decision from Cop26 by acknowledging the need to equitably phase-out all fossil fuels, not just coal,” said FoE energy policy officer Clare O’Connor.

It is too late to phase out one fossil fuel at a time, she added, while a Cop decision that did not build on the foundation laid in Glasgow “will inevitably be criticised as a failure”, she believed.

It was critical that parties reflect on the latest available science in the final outcome by acknowledging the need to phase out fossil fuels, as an accelerated phase out of such fuels is a critical part of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees.

Phasing out fossil fuels does not mean ending fossil fuel use overnight, but a just, equitable, managed transition to renewable energy, she underlined.

“Commitments to equity and finance will be key to unlocking the possibility to include fossil fuel phase out in the cover decision,” Ms O’Connor said.

A year on from Cop26 the gathering of BOGA members was more muted; suggesting momentum behind it had slowed a little.

The new Costa Rican president has distanced himself from the alliance’s aims and oil and gas exploration has grown following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

On the positive side, Fiji, Tuvalu, Kenya and Chile have joined as new BOGA “friends” while Washington state in the US has joined. Portugal has upgraded its membership to a full part of the alliance.

BOGA said Sweden and Quebec had both passed legislation banning oil and gas extraction on their territories, while California had taken strong action to protect communities from oil drilling. France is enacting legislation to enshrine a ban on overseas public finance for fossil fuel from early 2023.