The war in Ukraine threatens our climate: it could delay the decrease in CO2 emissions until 2030

The climate emergency is advancing at “catastrophic speed”. In the last year there have been advances at a global level, such as the lower production of ruminant meat, reforestation or renewable energies; nevertheless, the war in Ukraine has been a real setback in this struggle.

An example of this is the dismantling in the last days of a wind farm in Germany to expand an opencast coal mine. It is one of the examples of how the war in Ukraine has resurrected a great enemy against climate change. “It is possible that the use of coal will be intensified again and that it will translate into higher emissions,” said Economics professor Roberto Gómez Calvet.

This extreme clashes with the plans of world leaders at the Climate Summit in Egypt. The new rush for fossil fuels to not depend on Russia is contributing to delay until 2030 the moment in which emissions will begin to fall of CO2, according to OPEC.

The experts are divided. Some fear the return of fossil fuels, but others believe that the war in Ukraine is a turning point towards green energies, since in order not to depend on Russian gas, more investment in renewables will have to be made, which would offset the current use of gas and coal.

This acceleration in renewables will allow, according to the International Energy Agency, that the peak of emissions is not in 2030, but in 2025. However, even so, he assures that it will not be enough to assume the climate objectives committed.

“With the current commitments we would reach an increase of more than 2.5ºC, when science tells us that it is very important to stay below 2ºC”, explained the person in charge of the Climate of WWF Spain, Mar Asunción, although the ideal to avoid extreme climatic catastrophes is not to exceed 1.5ºC.