Isobel Royce writes for Royal United Services Institute (Political Short-Termism is Putting our Environmental Security at Risk) about ‘political short-termism’ in relation to the possibility of a return to fossil fuels in the current phase of crisis due to the war in Ukraine.
While there is no doubt that the race towards net-zero transition cannot be stopped, radical decisions must be taken. Governing means confronting reality head-on.
First of all, we believe, with particular reference to the issue of supplies from Russia, that the problem is essentially european: and it is Europe that must move in a ‘politically integrated’ manner. Every day we are seeing the difficulties for the Old Continent to find a common path: national interests are different, sometimes divergent.
Yet the energy issue, because of the impact it has on the lives of families and businesses, calls for a change in operations. The energy security of individual countries and of Europe as a whole is at stake. Many solutions have been proposed but, in our opinion, the continental one should be pursued and, only if the European timeframe is not fast enough, will it be necessary to focus on national solutions.
It must be said, in conclusion, that the causes of what we are experiencing are certainly attributable to Russia’s war in Ukraine, but not only. Politics, in recent years, has gradually given way to speculation: it is no longer possible to wait because the political sustainability (of which environmental sustainability is a very important piece) of individual European countries, of Europe as a whole and of the world is at risk.
