April 29, 2022 — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has amplified the importance of national security objectives when Western nations formulate energy policy. At the same time, they should not take their eye off the ball of reducing environmental damage and, in particular, slowing down greenhouse gas emissions. Both goals, geopolitical and environmental, are urgent. The national security and environmental objective should be evaluated together, rather than via separate “stove pipes.”
Some talk as if the two goals are necessarily in conflict — because, for example, fighting back against Moscow by boosting domestic US oil production would contribute to air pollution and global climate change. But there are plenty of steps that would benefit the environment and simultaneously further the geopolitical objective. The most obvious steps, especially for the EU, are sanctions that cut demand for imports of fossil fuels from Russia.