“A feasible scenario”
Climatologist calls for a ban on Russian gas imports
03/09/2022 09:23 am
At the beginning of the week, the US tightened sanctions against Russia again: An import ban on Russian oil and gas was imposed. Climate researchers are calling on Germany to follow suit quickly – even if this delays the phase-out of coal.
Climate researcher Ottmar Edenhofer calls on Germany to impose an import ban on Russian gas and oil like the USA. “We now need the most massive sanctions. Europe cannot afford to continue financing Putin’s war through gas and oil imports. And yes, we could succeed in enforcing this import ban,” Edenhofer told the Rheinische Post in Düsseldorf. “The question of energy and supply security is then the downstream question.”
However, the director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) conceded that this can be associated with high costs and bottlenecks: “However, honesty also means that the gas problem can still present us with major challenges costs and massive interventions in the gas market. Nevertheless, I think it is a feasible scenario.”
German industrial companies could be threatened with a shutdown next winter: “It would be conceivable for next winter if the storage tanks cannot be filled accordingly,” said Edenhofer and went on to emphasize: “In winter, private households would be prioritized for gas supply, which Customers in industry would have to take a back seat. We are talking about scenarios in times of war.”
“We must not subsidize the industry”
The climate package of 200 billion euros planned by Finance Minister Christian Lindner and Economics Minister Robert Habeck must also be used for social cushioning, Edenhofer demands: “Everything that promotes the expansion of renewable energies is good. But part of the money should also be used to help private households to avoid social upheaval. We must not only subsidize the industry,” Edenhofer told the newspaper.
Edenhofer considers a small shift in the coal phase-out because of the sanctions against Russia to be unproblematic: “The European emissions cap will automatically mean that we will phase out around 2030. If this is not possible for reasons of security of supply, then in the worst case it will be a little later It’s not a pretty development, but there’s no need to be slavish to exit dates as long as the emissions cap is met.”