Opinion: Why climate action holds the key to German security

Deutsche Welle ^ | April 16, 2022 | By Sherri Goodman

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Sheltering from air raid sirens in Kyiv last month, Ukrainian meteorologist Svitlana Krakovska said what we all know: climate change and the war on Ukraine are both rooted in fossil fuels, and our dependence on them.

This conflict is hastening a difficult but crucial transition for Germany. In recent years, it has made significant strides in recognizing climate's links with national security. This alone has not freed the country from the tether of Russian oil and gas.

The shocking force of Russia's invasion, financed by its grip on the world fossil fuel market, shows that Germany's national security depends on securing energy resilience and greater independence.

Immediate reductions in gas demand through energy efficiency, as well as moving decidedly away from fossil fuels, must be the priority. This approach will also help avoid catastrophic risk scenarios from climate change, from the flooding that has already cost many German lives to the heat waves that have hit the continent in recent years.

US-led investments in clean energy, and a majority for an approved national plan, will provide the market certainty needed to scale up wind and solar energy and green hydrogen technology. And as NATO develops its latest assessment of the security environment and plans its response, the alliance will need to consider the role of decarbonized energy and emission cuts as a powerful lever for global security.

War in Ukraine is a humanitarian disaster, and a frightening display of the threat Putin's Russia poses to the rest of the world. It's a wake-up call that shows Europe what it needs to do to both enable a climate-secure future and a more secure Europe. If the governing coalition responds decisively to end its dependence on Russian fossil fuels, it could also be the catalyst for a safer and more climate-secure Germany.

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- "It's all fun and games till somebody gets ideas about that combination..."

This is a very valid point. I was imagining what might happen to $80 billion in military equipment left in Afghanistan after the Biden withdrawal, and also imagining what a couple of Switchblades could do against embassies and government buildings all across Europe as Biden ships lethal aid only recently of brand, spanking new $800 million dollars of "Boom."

Should one wish to cause lethal chaos far beyond the Ukraine/Russian war, that would be a way to keep up a flow of munitions. Especially since the Maidan color revolution was accomplished with far less weaponry.