Is Russia’s War the End of Climate Policy as We Know It?

Ted Nordhaus, executive director of The Breakthrough Institute,
discusses his recent article in Foreign Policy: "Russia's War Is
the End of Climate Policy as We Know It." The current energy
crisis and Russian invasion are quickly causing us to prioritize
energy security over climate targets. Could this, paradoxically,
be a good thing for the climate?


Nordhaus argues that the carbon intensity of the global energy
system fell faster in the 30 years before the first major U.N.
climate conference than after it—a result of rising energy
efficiency, the spread of nuclear power, and the changing
composition of the global economy. With new pressure to fortify
ourselves against dependence on gas and energy imports, he argues
that climate and energy policies, especially in the West, may
shift from subsidizing demand (for things like solar panels and
electric vehicles) to deregulating supply (of things like nuclear
power plants and high-voltage transmission lines). This could put
clean energy policies on a much firmer economic footing and
better align climate objectives with energy security imperatives.


Read the Foreign Policy article here:
https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/06/05/climate-policy-ukraine-russia-energy-security-emissions-cold-war-fossil-fuels/