Energy Dependence and Sanctions

When it comes to sanctions against the Russian attack on Ukraine, those politically and economically responsible for deliberately driving up dependence on Russia – to the detriment of Europe – should also be included. A commentary by Rainhard Kloucek.

Reliably available energy is one of the prerequisites for our prosperity. The increasing use of fossil fuels in agriculture after the Second World War was one reason why, for the first time after a major war, there was no massive famine in Europe. Working animals, which had to be fed from the fruits of the fields, could be replaced by machinery.

Even if heating with fossil fuels is increasingly frowned upon today because CO2 is blamed for global warming, one should consider whether we could actually all heat with wood, or whether our forests would not soon be deforested. Intact forests are, incidentally, also a climate stabiliser.

In the sense of the comprehensive national defence anchored in Austria, the reliable supply of energy is part of economic national defence. Access to resources available within the country is a component of this security. The exploitation of a shale gas field in the Weinviertel, which could have covered domestic gas requirements for 30 years, would have prevented many of today’s concerns. However, this was politically blocked by the very coalition that now forms the government in Austria.

Instead, dependence on Russia was driven up through political steering. A dependence of 80 per cent on gas is neither economically sensible nor politically healthy, whatever the motivation of those who brought about this dependence may have been.

Responsibility for this must be clarified. And it is surely appropriate to include those responsible on a sanctions list, just like many others who have promoted the Putin system.

© Featured image: European Union 2021 Aurore Martignoni