Escape from gas to build a peaceful and resilient world 

No to false solutions for the energy system

Escape from gas to build a peaceful and resilient world.

• The Gas Is Not a Solution network, of which Ecologistas en Acción are part, wants to express our solidarity with the entire population affected by the war in Ukraine and by all active conflicts.
• We hope that the war ends as soon as possible and we urge all parties to respect international humanitarian law that protects civilians from attacks. Therefore, we demand an immediate ceasefire.

We are aware that people around the world are suffering greatly from the impacts of climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing wars. The recent IPCC report paints a terrifying picture of the impacts that are already being felt across the planet, and that are much harsher in the global South. We do not want another armed conflict to bring more instability and loss of life. We need unity and capacity to face the challenges that await us.

The current situation shows that fossil fuels and the impacts of climate change exacerbate conflicts, making the most vulnerable people suffer even more. For this reason, greater investment in fossil fuels and related infrastructure will increase drilling, fracking, associated emissions, and will only serve to worsen the impacts on the planet and people's health.

This war has made even clearer the great dependence of Europe and the Spanish State on fossil fuels, especially fossil gas. It has also shed light on the importance of our public finances and how important it is to be aware of whose hands they end up in and what they support. Gas companies have benefited enormously from the energy price crisis and intend to get more out of the war.

We need a progressive elimination of fossil fuels, in the Spanish State, in Europe and throughout the world. To achieve this, we must promote a rapid and fair energy transition that moves us away from coal, oil, gas and nuclear, towards the democratization of energy, energy savings and renewable energies. This is the only viable path to rapidly reduce dependence on fossil fuels, while contributing fairly to achieving the Paris Agreement goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C.

However, the necessary measures are not being taken either in the Spanish State or in the European Union (EU). This war must be a turning point for the energy transition, for this we must:

– Increase climate ambition and ensure energy security. The EU and Member States must ensure the integrity and ambition of the “Fit for 55” climate and energy legislative package and other tools, such as the Integrated Energy and Climate Plans (PNIEC).

– Remove gas and nuclear from the green taxonomy. The current conflict shows that these energies do not meet the objective of Do Not Cause Significant Harm (DNSH) nor do they make a substantial contribution to climate objectives, but are the source of geopolitical conflicts and highly dangerous military objectives. .

– Achieve a 100 % renewable energy system by 2040. The EU and its members must urgently accelerate measures to significantly reduce energy demand and promote renewable energy. To achieve this, fossil gas must be removed from homes by 2035 at the latest.

– Avoid the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure and other false solutions. The short-term measures adopted by the Spanish State and the EU to confront the energy crisis must not jeopardize the path already taken in terms of climate action, avoiding by all means the expansion of fossil fuel and other infrastructures. false solutions that are being proposed these days. One of them is the start-up of the El Musel regasification plant. In addition to being illegal, it is totally unnecessary due to the existing storage and regasification capacity. Or the resurgence of the MidCat gas pipeline project, which is not a solution in any of the energy horizons if we want to comply with the European Green Deal. On the other hand, hydrogen cannot become a false alibi that strengthens the role of fossil gas in the energy mix.

– Boost the just transition to protect vulnerable populations from volatile energy prices. Access to clean energy should be guaranteed through an effective social tariff, while encouraging the massive change from gas boilers to renewable thermal systems and investment in energy efficiency in buildings.

– Delink the price of electricity from gas. Demand reduction measures along with electrification are the best alternative to fossil gas. However, currently it is fossil gas that ends up setting prices, even though only a small part of electricity is produced from gas (17 % in 2021). This perverse system encourages the impoverishment of the population in favor of the profits of large energy companies, and it also distorts price signals, making it difficult to commit to electrification.

– Ban advertising that promotes the use of any fossil fuel as a transition fuel to renewable energy. The promotion of fossil fuels/energy as transitory would represent resistance to the change to renewable energies and, therefore, a brake on the commitment to a sustainable future.

We need to build a more resilient, peaceful and secure future, in which climate action and the commitment of the population leads us to consume less energy and that the energy consumed is sustainable, renewable, affordable and conflict-free. A society with renewable energy accessible to all people will not only help confront the climate crisis, but will also guarantee energy security, being the best insurance against future increases in energy prices and a way to protect the most vulnerable people.

While we call for peace, we seek to maintain our work on climate action in these difficult times. There is no time to lose.