Opinion | Why Ukraine war should turbocharge US transition to renewable energy

America is in a bind as oil and gas prices shoot up but it cannot afford an energy U-turn or to consider deals with its adversaries in Opec. Its only real choice is to complete its move to green energy

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Workers install solar panels on the roof of a home in Palmetto Bay, Florida, US, on January 23, 2018. Photo: AFP

Published: 3:30am, 25 Apr 2022

The war in Ukraine has laid bare the West’s overdependence on Russian oil and gas. Yet, simply trading Russian oil for that produced in Iran or Venezuela is self-defeating; we are simply storing up geopolitical issues for later.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has many Nato nations in a vice. Indeed, most European countries remain addicted to Russian energy. For US President Joe Biden, simply increasing drilling projects at home would be untenable, given the green rhetoric of his election campaign.

The only way for the United States to strengthen its hand at the negotiating table is to complete its transition to renewable energy and detangle itself from the web of dependency spun by hydrocarbons.

The US is at the forefront of the international drive to wean off Russian oil and gas. The cost of living and pump prices have escalated at home after Biden ordered Russian imports to be stopped immediately following the invasion of Ukraine.

The move has exacted a heavy cost on American people and businesses, and forced Biden to go cap in hand to Opec for more oil.

But few in the oil-producers’ cartel were willing to open up their taps while energy prices continue to rocket and their own economies struggle to recover from the Covid-19 crisis. Their response to his plea was predictably short and sweet: if the US wants more energy, it should increase its own production.

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