A ‘gastastrophic’ mistake
New expert group invites fossil fuel giants to steer Europe’s energy
Earlier this year, as the attack on Ukraine brought Europe’s dependency on Russian oil and gas into the limelight, Corporate Europe Observatory showed how the EU’s dependence not just on Russian supplies, but on all fossil gas, is a consequence of how the fossil fuel industry has successfully captured EU decision making.
By granting the powerful gas lobby a very strong influence over Europe’s energy policy response to the invasion, the EU is prolonging its dependency on fossil fuels. Furthermore, this choice continues to fail the millions of people facing a growing cost of living crisis.
The new EU Energy Platform Industry Advisory Group, created at the request of oil and gas majors like BP, Total and Eni (which now count among its members), represents a conflict of interest on a colossal scale. These alliances must be stopped if we are to have any chance of breaking Europe’s fossil gas habit, addressing fuel poverty, and averting climate crisis. Even the International Energy Agency recognises that no new oil or gas fields can be developed if we are to have a chance of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5°C. Gas, like all other fossil fuels, needs to stay in the ground if we are to avoid climate catastrophe. And fossil free politics is the only way to ensure that this happens.
Read the report here
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