Grandstand. In 2019, Russia’s fossil fuel export accounted for $233 billion in revenue, or 14% of the country’s gross domestic product. Half of these exports benefited European consumers. Since then, the prices of natural gas, coal and oil on European markets have multiplied by 8, 5 and 2 respectively.
It is a formidable oxygen balloon to finance the Russian war machine, which the European States have not yet dared to touch so much our dependence on this energy is important. This is a culpable passivity, which makes us complicit in the tragedy unfolding before our eyes in Ukraine today and no doubt elsewhere tomorrow.
By turning on your boiler, starting your car engine, and even turning on your incandescent light bulb, you are contributing to Russia’s victory. It is urgent that Europeans free themselves from their Russian energy dependence. The European Green Deal will help us do this, since the objective of reducing CO2 by 55% by 2030 will lead to the elimination of coal, then natural gas, from the European electricity mix.
Electricity still too carbon-intensive
But this energy transition will take time, since it is based on investments in renewable energies and on the electrification of energy uses, the climate and security impacts of which will take years to materialize.
Rising fossil fuel prices should naturally lead consumers to decarbonize their way of life, as was the case during the oil shocks at the end of the last century. But as at the time, this price effect will take time. This is particularly true in the field of electricity.
As our European electricity mix is still very carbon-intensive, the price of electricity on the European “spot” market has gone from 32 euros per megawatt hour on average in 2020 to more than 200 euros in recent months, up to 700 euros at peak times. peak in recent days. However, our government did not want consumers to be affected by freezing the guaranteed price of electricity.
Save our democracies and our environment
Thus, each badly consumed kilowatt hour impoverishes Europe and enriches the Russian army, but the French consumer can rest easy for his purchasing power. This price freeze, if it can be understood for reasons of vulnerability of the most modest households, implies an insensitivity to the flagrant support of Russian aggression. More than ever, our individual responsibility is engaged here.
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