The unequal toll of Russia’s energy war

Your guide to the political forces shaping the energy transformation

Feb 21, 2023 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell Ukrainian soldiers walk amid debris after a shopping center and surrounding buildings were hit by a Russian missile strike on April 16, 2022. | Chris McGrath/Getty Images Friday marks one year since Russia invaded Ukraine, triggering an energy crisis that has deepened the divide between rich and poor nations and reinforced global inequities supercharged by climate change. Europe, which relied reliantly on Russian natural gas, was expected to freeze after the war broke out. Instead, poorer Asian countries are scrounging for fuel, after natural gas suppliers rerouted Asia-bound cargoes to European markets, write POLITICO’s E&E News reporters Benjamin Storrow and Sara Schonhardt. Some of those nations have resorted to burning more coal, while others have endured electric blackouts. Meanwhile, with its energy crisis at bay, Europe has returned to enacting its ambitious plan to slash greenhouse gas emissions and green its economy. The U.S., meanwhile, saw a surge in gasoline prices that prompted President Joe Biden to urge oil producers to increase production — while he also laid the groundwork for a vast expansion of wind and solar power. This scenario isn’t an isolated incident. Countries that can afford to pay rising prices are buying up energy resources and preparing for the climate emergency. Countries that can’t pony up are slipping backward into the grip of dirtier fuels, or going dark. “There will be greater gaps between countries,” Jane Nakano, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Benjamin and Sara. Rich nations, which emit the most carbon pollution (looking at you, United States and China), are likely to continue accelerating their low-carbon transition. Poorer countries, meanwhile, may become more reliant on fossil fuels to ensure energy access for their growing populations, while also bearing the brunt of climate change. This trend does not bode well for slashing carbon from the atmosphere. And it shows. Global pollution from fossil fuels approached an all-time high last year as countries scrambled for supplies of coal, oil and natural gas to power their economies. The peak comes as the clock ticks on global climate efforts. Based on current projections, the world has nine years until the rise in global temperatures eclipses 1.5 degrees Celsius (which is bad) and 30 years until temperatures pass 2 C (which is very, very bad). During international climate talks in Egypt last year, nations agreed to help poorer countries, which have contributed the least to global warming, transition to low-carbon fuels. But questions remain about how effective such efforts will be.   It's Tuesday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Arianna Skibell. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to askibell@eenews.net. Listen to today’s POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Ry Rivard breaks down New Jersey's new suite of climate-related executive orders and regulatory actions — and whether they are feasible. Featured story Small airplanes and choppers flying overhead Veronica Licon’s house in San Jose, Calif., run on leaded gasoline. | Photos by Max Whittaker for POLITICO Toddlers in California's East San Jose, who live directly below the flight path to Reid-Hillview Airport, have concentrations of lead in their blood on par with children tested at the height of the drinking water crisis in Flint, Mich. That's because aircraft flying in and out of the airport are powered by leaded gasoline — three decades after the U.S. banned the fuel for cars, writes Ariel Wittenberg. A panel of aviation experts and fuel producers like Chevron and Exxon Mobil has repeatedly rejected proposals to create unleaded fuels for small aircraft, an investigation by POLITICO’s E&E News found. Public health experts routinely say there’s no safe level of lead because even minuscule amounts of the neurotoxin can disrupt child development. Power Centers A specialized ship rolls out a fiber-optic cable, suspended from buoys, off La Guaira on the Venezuelan coast. | Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo Even the internet is at risk Global internet connectivity could be compromised by climate change. That's because extreme weather is threatening the flow of digital information through fiber-optic cables lining the ocean floor, writes Daniel Cusick. Damage to the transglobal cable network could be enormous for governments, the private sector and nonprofit organizations whose operations rely on the safe and secure flow of digital information. That's a high bill Politicians across the U.S. West are vowing to take action after high home heating and electricity bills left some consumers paying triple their normal amounts this winter, writes Jason Plautz. State lawmakers are warning utilities that they could face more scrutiny if prices remain high. And the Colorado General Assembly set up a special joint committee to investigate utility rates. The environmental costs of war One year of Russia's war with Ukraine has left deep scars — including on the country’s natural landscape, write Louise Guillot, Antonia Zimmermann and Giovanna Coi. The conflict has ruined vast swathes of farmland, burned down forests and destroyed national parks. Damage to industrial facilities has caused heavy air, water and soil pollution, exposing residents to toxic chemicals and contaminated water. In Other News Falsehoods: An activist group is spreading misinformation to stop solar projects in rural America. Too little, too late: The International Energy Agency is accusing fossil fuel industries of not doing enough to curb methane emissions, thereby undermining global climate goals.   DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID.     Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. People walk along the beach last year in Bonita Springs, Fla., looking at property damaged by Hurricane Ian. | Sean Rayford/Getty Images Hurricane Ian on Monday became the eighth U.S. disaster to generate more than $1 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency relief payments to individuals. Community and rooftop solar developers say new Biden administration guidance could make it difficult to expand solar power into marginalized communities targeted by Congress. The battery industry says Biden's infrastructure and climate laws are not nearly enough to build out a domestic supply chain. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. Don't miss out on the must-know stories, candid insights, and analysis from POLITICO's energy team. Listen today.       Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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