The Executive Secretary of the United Nations for Climate Change said today that, after an ‘infernal’ summer, Europe faces a new winter energy crisis due to its dependence on fossil fuels.
“Aproxima-se mais uma crise energética de inverno na Europa, provocada pela nossa dependência dos combustíveis fósseis”, alerted Simon Stiell before the Committee on Environment, Climate and Food Safety of the European Parliament, in Brussels.
According to the official, Europe’s reliance on unstable fossil fuel imports has long been the continent’s economic Achilles’ heel.
Stiell noted that the next energy crisis comes after a summer he described as “infernal,” with extreme heat caused by climate change triggering tens of thousands of deaths and damage to infrastructure, businesses and economies.
“More and more, failing to act decisively on climate change means not acting on inflation and the cost of living, on our sovereignty and security, and on economic growth and job creation,” he warned.
According to a study he cited, the extreme weather events recorded in the summer will have cost Europe around 180 billion euros due to productivity losses and disruptions in the food, energy and transport sectors, an impact equivalent to one percentage point of the European gross domestic product (GDP).
In light of the situation, the UN representative argued that clean energy is the safest way to provide Europe with affordable prices, economic stability, energy security and greater autonomy in policy making, according to the Spanish news agency EFE.
Stiell stressed that renewable energy already generates around half of Europe’s electricity, adding that, during the first six months of the current conflict in the Middle East, solar energy alone enabled Europeans to save more than 30 billion euros in gas imports.
“The transition to clean energy is now irreversible,” he stated, adding that this process represents “a gold mine of jobs and business opportunities.”
The official also urged the EU to focus on implementing the climate commitments already undertaken and urged the bloc to attend the upcoming UN climate conference (COP31), which will be held in Turkey in November, “ready to find solutions” and contribute to progress in mitigation, adaptation and climate finance.
