Source: Gasworld
On February 25th, 2022, Russian forces invaded Ukraine. The invasion had huge global repercussions, particularly in the energy sector. The conflict served as a warning about the vulnerability of relying on fossil fuels. Europe had to rush to find non-Russian gas and renewable energy to replace Russian gas. The latter caused a global spike in energy prices and hurt the continent's reputation as a self-styled climate leader due to the increased use of coal. For the remainder of the year, Europe made an effort to avoid oversight of net zero goals while pursuing a solution to its gas shortages. At the G7 in June, disagreements inside Europe on whether to support imported gas were made clear.[i]
Rethinking how EU nations and the UK met their power needs was crucial as the ripple effects of the invasion began to be felt. Many European nations have had a significant challenge in reducing their reliance on Russian gas imports. The majority of the continent's gas had been delivered via pipelines, most of which pass through Russia. Those that don't, like a pipeline that crosses Turkey and Azerbaijan, don't have enough capacity to meet the EU's needs. The European Commission presented an outline of a strategy on March 8, 2022, to make the EU independent from Russian fossil fuels well before 2030, starting with gas. The Commission reported that by the end of 2022, the EU's gas imports were to be cut and reduced to 33% of the 155 billion cubic metres imported in 2021.[ii]
The energy industry was threatened by record-high prices and potential defaults due to price volatility. Gas price volatility has raised overall risk for market participants, prompting requests for greater margins from banks or brokers. This resulted in many fuel suppliers breaking glass and deploying coal as a cost-saving solution.[iii] Many worried that this hugely controversial move undermined one of 2021’s biggest climate wins, the COP26 coal deal.[iv]
Source: Reuters
In spite of a challenging geopolitical environment, countries delivered a package of resolutions at COP27 that reaffirmed their commitment to keeping global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The package also boosted the financial, technological, and capacity-building assistance that developing nations need to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the inevitable effects of climate change. To help developing nations respond to loss and damage, governments made the ground-breaking decision to create new financial arrangements and a dedicated fund. Additionally, governments agreed to form a "transitional committee" to give suggestions on how to effectively implement the fund and the new financial arrangements at COP28 this year.[v]
Teresa Anderson, the Global Lead on Climate Justice for ActionAid International, said:
“A fund to help governments rebuild homes, hospitals and roads, avoid new debt burdens, and provide social protection to help communities bridge crises will be vital to help people avoid the poverty spiral after climate disasters”.[vi]
Source: Planet football
Perhaps one of the biggest moments of 2022 was the FIFA world cup in Qatar; in the world of zero carbon, the story is no different. Bold claims of the first ever carbon neutral world cup were met with criticism but more important was how much the footballing community and the wider world were engaged and passionate about this discussion. It is hard to imagine a major cultural event that occurred in 2022 for which you would be unable to find a sustainability page or some news stories about its climate consciousness. The presence of the climate crisis within the conversation around these events is valuable to the pursuit of net zero goals. Specifically in the case of football, but undeniably applicable to a wide array of popular culture forms, there is a powerful role that can be played in motivating widespread action. The Premier League say:
“Clubs have demonstrated their commitment to positive change in this area and continue to play an important role in raising awareness of the issue among fans, while also working on policies to improve their environmental sustainability across their business operations,”.[vii]
Source: Fintech Times
In the UK, households are currently seeing the largest real income fall since the middle of the 1970s. Even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, inflation had risen to its highest level in decades. While taxes were going up, wages were staying the same. Additionally, 25 energy companies failed due to rising gas costs between September and December 2021. The removal of the energy price cap by Ofgem, the UK's regulator for the electricity and gas sectors, meant that bills were anticipated to climb by 54% from April (prior to government intervention). Rising food costs, frantic gas purchases, and astronomical energy costs have all come to characterise 2022.[viii] For some, this unforgiving set of economic circumstances may sour them to the idea of net zero goals, and these voices must be heard to ensure prolonged support for global climate goals. Other entities pointed out how decarbonisation could be aligned with attempts to mitigate the impact of economic circumstances we find ourselves in. The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainable leadership (CISL), together with the Corporate Leaders Group (CLG), produced a policy paper that said:
‘Our evidence indicates that policies that align with the net zero target generate more favourable economic outcomes than other types of cost-of-living support policy packages, in addition to being more progressive through primarily benefitting the lowest income households most.’.[ix]
Source: Forbes
France passed laws in 2022 requiring solar panels to be installed on the roofs of all car parks with more than 80 spaces. This is a part of a larger scheme that will see solar panels installed on some farmland, vacant land next to roads and railroads, and vacant lots. Through this program, the French power grid will gain an increase of 11 gigawatts or the equivalent of ten nuclear reactors. France is probably pursuing this strategy to reduce its reliance on nuclear energy, which generates 70% of the nation's electricity. However, the grid in France will also need to use various energy sources and storage methods due to the addition of several million electric vehicles and heat pumps.[x] This was a popular story within the reports department here at ZCA; what drew us to it was its simplicity and its ingenuity.
“Car parks and solar panels are not ground-breaking technologies; the innovation shines through in the way they are being brought together through binding legislation. It speaks to a perspective that there are perhaps countless ideas within the minds of people working across many climate focussed sectors that may seem fairly outlandish but deserve to be heard even in conversation with a co-worker or friend. The bravery to push boundaries showed its worth in 2022 and is something we can hope to bring forward into 2023 and the years beyond.”
[i] Climate home news- Russia’s invasion & Pakistan’s floods defined 2022 in climate
[ii] The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies- The EU plan to reduce Russian gas imports by two-thirds by the end of 2022: Practical realities and implications
[iii] Reuters- Column: Europe's climate credentials sullied by coal import binge
[iv] BBC- Bonn climate conference: World is "cooked" if we carry on with coal, US says
[v] United Nations- COP27 Reaches Breakthrough Agreement on New “Loss and Damage” Fund for Vulnerable Countries
[vi] The Lancet- COP27 establishes loss and damage fund to respond to human cost of climate change
[vii] The Athletic- Floods, fires and why football can play a big role in tackling climate change
[viii] The Economics Observatory- How is the cost of living crisis affecting net-zero policies?
[ix] CLG UK- The Best of Both Worlds: How tackling cost-of-living and decarbonisation creates win–wins for the UK economy
[x] The Conversation- France’s plan for solar panels on all car parks is just the start of an urban renewable revolution
Oscar is a recent graduate with a background in earth science. He is currently studying an MSc focussing on disaster responses, emergency planning and community resilience. His postgraduate research project will assess the link between climate crisis risk perception and attitudes to green energy projects. “Adapting to the climate crisis through the pursuit of net zero requires community engagement and understanding. Zero Carbon Academy’s goals closely align with this approach and I’m excited to have the opportunity to research and communicate a variety of topics relating to our environment and sustainability”.
