Greenpeace Romania activists in kayaks protest in front of the Russian oil tanker VF Tanker 2, which is currently off the Romanian Black Sea coast, near the port of Constanța. “Drought starts here” and “Heat waves start here” are the messages with which they sound the alarm on the link between fossil fuel dependence and the extreme weather phenomena we face: widespread drought, devastating wildfires, suffocating temperatures, atmospheric instability. Activists ask the Romanian Government to stop postponing the transition to clean energy, which does not destroy the environment and does not fuel wars.
Thus, Greenpeace asks the Romanian Government for the urgent implementation of measures to increase energy efficiency both in buildings and in industry, active support for prosumers and energy democracy, investments in improving clean energy infrastructure, as well as public transport systems, planting a national network of protective forests and offering areal support for most vulnerable citizens to climate change.
“We are going through a lethal overlap of global crises: the health crisis, the war in Ukraine, the refugee crisis, the energy and economic crisis, the climate and nature crisis, which amplify one another. We are all affected, but not equally, and this can be seen even more clearly at the local level: the south-east of Romania is hit by drought and wildfires, hundreds of localities are left without water and desertification threatens 11 million Romanians living in lowland areas, as well as the food security of the most vulnerable,” say Greenpeace activists.
“Russia is the main supplier of oil, natural gas and coal to the European Union, which directly finances the invasion of Ukraine: since the beginning of the war, EU states have poured more than 72 billion euros into Putin’s pocket. That means lives lost every day and an accelerated deepening of the climate crisis. But if our answer is to replace fossil fuels from dictatorial regimes with other fossil fuels, we are only digging our own hole further. Every step towards the transition to clean, renewable energy and the focus on energy efficiency is a step towards security and a greener and more peaceful future for all. Instead of fueling the war machine and adding even more gas to the fire, we can focus our efforts on resilience, energy independence and long-term security,” they add.
“We will never be safe in a world dependent on fossil fuels, and our answer cannot simply be to switch suppliers. The Romanian Government must take concrete measures for a just and fair transition to renewable energy, so that the crises we face do not get worse. It’s time for the Romanian rulers to prioritize our future, and not the profit of fossil fuel companies. Investments in renewable sources and energy saving should be treated as a national priority. Romania must speed up the energy transition through ambitious renewable energy and energy efficiency objectives and set clear targets for the gradual elimination of all fossil fuels,” says Alin Tănase, Greenpeace Romania campaigner.
