War in Ukraine Encourages Global Shift toward Renewable Energy by 2025
War in Ukraine Encourages Global Shift toward Renewable Energy by 2025
How Russia's invasion of Ukraine has led to the decline of fossil fuels and the rise in renewable energy sources.
Photo Source: You Matter
A global energy crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year has led to a rise in renewable energy and a shift away from fossil fuels.
Between 2022-2027, renewables are expected to accelerate 85 percent from the past five years and will eventually account for 90 percent of global electricity, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The IEA also predicts that renewables will be the largest source of global electricity by 2025 and solar PV’s installed power capacity will be the largest source by 2027.
In fact, solar PV and wind have already increased by a record 13 percent in the European Union from March to September, according to Aljazeera.
How is this a result of Russia's war on Ukraine?
During the war, Russia cut gas supplies to Europe, which encouraged European nations to seek more secure resources. Additionally, the rise in prices for fossil fuels this year has led nations to seek cheaper resources.
Russia is expected to take a big hit from this change as it was previously the world’s leading exporter of fossil fuels, according to The New York Times. As renewables are becoming leading energy sources, Russia’s fossil fuel exports are not expected to return to pre-war levels.
Renewable energy sources that are now being more utilized as a result of these changes include wind turbines, solar panels, nuclear power plants, hydrogen fuels, electric vehicles, electric heat pumps, as well as wind, solar and electric vehicles.
How will the switch to renewable energy help global warming?
Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas, have negative effects on the environment, such as contributing to air pollution and global warming. The increased use of renewable energy as opposed to fossil fuels will help form solutions to climate change. Although results may occur slowly, even small changes can make a big difference.
“With each fraction of a degree of warming, tens of millions more people worldwide would be exposed to life-threatening heat waves, food and water scarcity, and coastal flooding while millions more mammals, insects, birds and plants would disappear,” said climate reporter Brad Plumer in The New York Times.
In October, the United Nations released a 2022 Emissions Gap Report, which finds that urgent system-wide cuts must take place to limit greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The report states that a 45 percent cut is needed to limit the global warming rise to 1.5°C by 2030.
To manage these cuts, changes will have to be made in sectors ranging from electricity, transport, buildings, food and financial systems. If global warming is not limited enough, it can result in global heat waves, droughts, flooding and wildfires.
The war has pushed the globe in the right direction in terms of sustainability and utilizing renewable sources of energy. Hopefully nations continue to support this shift as the next two to four years remain crucial for change.
Best,
Ariana for the Don’t Count Us Out Yet Team