When Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, people were quick to point out that his war was funded by fossil fuels. 60% of Russia's export revenue comes from oil and gas. Europe's dependence on Russian gas is effectively funding Putin's war to the tune of US$285 million a day. Cutting that revenue would limit Russia's ability to wage war and commit acts of aggression against its neighbours.
Meanwhile, we are in the middle of a climate crisis, and desperately need to reduce global emissions to avoid destroying our civilisation and making the planet uninhabitable. And suddenly, the solution to one of these problems is looking like the solution to the other. The US has banned Russian oil. The UK is doing the same. The EU is cutting its dependence on Russian gas. In all three cases, making things work is going to require crash investment in decarbonisation - renewables, energy efficiency and EVs - to avoid significant damage. Meaning a permanent shift away from fossil fuels, and permanent emissions reductions.
But its not just Russia: globally, some of our worst tyrannies - Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Venezuela - are petrocracies, and rely on oil revenues to fund their wars and repression. (The USA, the world's largest oil producer, also engages in wars of aggression, but it is not a petrostate like the others are). Again, cutting those revenues will make them less powerful, less capable of hurting their own people or others. Reducing emissions is a way of defunding war everywhere. Sadly, it has taken a major war of aggression to remind everyone of this. But now it has been bought to our attention, we should seize the opportunity, decarbonise, and watch the tyrants shrivel.
