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What On Earth

Heat pumps for freedom? How war is shifting the energy conversation

Getting off Russian oil and gas could mean a faster switch to renewables — or finding more fossil fuels elsewhere. Plus: criticisms of the UN climate report process and an update on Alberta coal.

Getting off Russian gas could mean a faster switch to renewables — or finding more fossil fuels elsewhere

CBC News ·
Outrage over Russian attacks on Ukraine have led to bans, including from the U.S., of oil and gas from Russia. Here, a hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, destroyed by an aviation strike, is seen on Wednesday. (National Police of Ukraine/Handout via Reuters)
What On Earth27:02Heat pumps for freedom? How war is shifting the energy conversation

In this week's episode of What On Earth, guest host Lisa Johnson brings you three top climate stories from around the globe.

The war in Ukraine has Europe rethinking its reliance on Russian gas

We often hear that we need a wartime response to the climate crisis. Well, there may be one happening in Europe — at least when it comes to Russian gas.

Europe currently imports 90 per cent of its gas from abroad, with more than 40 per cent coming from Russia. But in response to spiking prices, mounting political pressure, and worries about energy security, the European Commission released a plan to slash EU imports of Russian gas by two-thirds this year while ramping up renewables. By 2030, it plans to end reliance on Russian gas and is also looking at biomethane and hydrogen.

We start with a plea from Ukrainian lawyer and climate activist Svitlana Romanko, who says "fossil fuels [have] become a weapon of mass destruction."

Then, we speak to Brussels-based energy expert Michaela Holl, senior associate at the think tank Agora Energiewende, to break down the historic shifts going on in Europe, where renewable energy is being called "freedom energy."

Europeans are also seeing sharply spiking prices at the gas pumps as world energy markets react to Russia's war in Ukraine. A display shows fuel prices in Euros at a station in Nice, France, on Tuesday. (Eric Gaillard/Reuters)

IPCC report author pushes for a moratorium on climate change research

The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is the most dire yet, but its findings are no surprise. For IPCC author Bruce Glavovic, enough is enough.

The science has been settled for decades, and it's past time to act.

In a peer-reviewed commentary titled "The Tragedy of Climate Change Science," Glavovic and two colleagues argue for a pause in the IPCC process so that scientists can re-evaluate their role — and find a way to push governments to confront the existential crisis the world faces.

Glavovic, who's a professor at Massey University in New Zealand, shares his call to action for scientists, society, and the future of humanity.

Alberta declares no new coal mining in the iconic Eastern Slopes

A fight over the future of coal mining in Alberta began in the spring of 2020 when the province retracted a 1976 policy protecting parts of the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

Now, after two years of public outcry, the Alberta Coal Policy Committee has released its reports, and the province announced a halt to all new coal mining in the region until proper land-use planning takes place.

We get an update from Latasha Calf Robe, a member of the Blood Tribe and the founder of Niitsítapi Water Protectors. She spoke to us for our previous episode on Alberta coal policy and says she's feeling "cautiously optimistic" about the future of the Eastern Slopes.

LISTEN to our past episode on the fight over coal mining in Alberta:

What On Earth33:29The fight over coal in Alberta's Rockies
When the Alberta government quietly rescinded a 1976 coal policy protecting the eastern slopes of the Rockies, it kicked off mass outcry. Now, as the public awaits new policy, some argue it should exclude new mines.