Target: Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament
Goal: Drop continued support for natural gas in the European Union.
In a boost to fossil fuel companies, the European Union (EU) voted on July 6, 2022, to label some uses of natural gas as climate-friendly or “green” energy sources. A move not only in contrast with goals to lower the EU’s carbon emissions by 55% by 2030, but one which will also encourage continued private sector investment in fossil fuel companies.
In the past Europe’s liquid natural gas (LNG) has come from Russia, but since the country’s invasion of Ukraine the EU has been scrambling to find alternative sources of natural gas. This has led to outreach to other LNG exporting countries in the Middle East and Africa, as well as the United States. In a bid to lower prices for gas imports, many countries in the EU are signing long-term contracts with LNG producers, some of these are as long as 20 years.
The EU’s attempts to avoid bankrolling the invasion of Ukraine by discontinuing LNG contracts with Russia is the right move, continuing to rely on natural gas in the long term is not. The EU’s move to substitute Russian gas with different LNG imports shows Europe is not committed to fighting climate change. The time for swift action is now, not in 20 years.
Natural gas has consistently been heralded as a greener energy source because it burns more cleanly than coal. But natural gas adds greenhouse gases into the atmosphere throughout every step of its lifetime. Gasses are emitted as LNG is drilled and extracted, as it is transported, and again when it is burned for fuel. Worse still, a new study released in Nature Energy finds that emissions from natural gas are “consistently underestimated.” Continued reliance on LNG will only exacerbate the climate crisis and voting to classify natural gas as a climate-friendly energy source makes it harder to transition to sustainable energy sources and caters to the very companies causing climate destruction. Sign this petition to demand that EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola push for energy sources that are actually green.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear President Metsola,
The EU has committed to slashing its carbon emissions by 55% by 2030. Achieving this goal will requiring a quick break from fossil fuels. As the EU works to rid itself of reliance on Russian natural gas in the wake of the country’s invasion of Ukraine, Europe should be dropping natural gas altogether – not signing long-term contracts with different LNG producers.
Natural gas may burn more cleanly than coal – though a recent study in Nature Energy argues natural gas emissions are “consistently underestimated” – but gasses are emitted as LNG is drilled and extracted, transported, and when it is burned. Natural gas is not a “green” source of energy. The EU’s continued reliance on natural gas shows Europe is not committed to fighting climate change. You must do everything in your power to move the EU away from natural gases and towards more sustainable sources of energy.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Tod Baker
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