Russia's War in Ukraine: Why doubling down on the Green Deal is the best strategy

An opinion piece co-signed by Executive Directors of the Think Sustainable Europe network arguing that the European Union should use the crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine to accelerate the European Green Deal and achieve green strategic autonomy.

• The authors argue that the European Green Deal is essential for the EU to achieve strategic autonomy from Moscow and reduce reliance on Russian oil and gas. They warn that short-term emergency measures to find alternative fossil fuel suppliers could create "detrimental lock-in effects" and urge the inclusion of clear phase-out clauses for any emergency measures that conflict with carbon neutrality.
• The document calls for a shift toward "green strategic autonomy," which involves ending dependence on foreign fossil fuels and increasing the security of green energy supplies. This shift would impact various policy frameworks, including the Fit for 55 package, the EU Sustainable Finance Taxonomy, the Circular Economy Action Plan, and the Farm to Fork Strategy.
• The authors suggest that the invasion of Ukraine may reduce the traditional East-West divide on energy issues, as Visegrad countries have criticized Russia despite their energy vulnerabilities. They advocate for a unified European energy strategy emphasizing renewable energy, green energy storage, demand-management, and solidarity.
• To ensure a just transition, the authors emphasize the need for greater solidarity between EU member states and citizens, particularly regarding the Social Climate Fund and the sharing of green investment funds, to mitigate the impact of rising consumer prices and the influx of refugees.
• The piece recommends that the EU avoid isolationism while pursuing autonomy by strengthening diplomatic ties and cooperation with the Global South, specifically Africa, through Green Deal diplomatic efforts.

APA

Charveriat, C., Bausch, C., Treyer, S., Nilsson, M., Müller, A., Bernasconi-Osterwalder, N., Sánchez, M. J. S., Christopoulou, I., Zwolak, K., Dostál, V., Méhes, M., & Orsini, R. (2022). Russia's War in Ukraine: Why doubling down on the Green Deal is the best strategy. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/insight/russias-war-ukraine-why-doubling-down-green-deal-best-strategy

Chicago

Charveriat, Céline, Camilla Bausch, Sébastien Treyer, Måns Nilsson, Alexander Müller, Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder, María José Sanz Sánchez, et al. Russia's War in Ukraine: Why doubling down on the Green Deal is the best strategy. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2022. https://www.iisd.org/articles/insight/russias-war-ukraine-why-doubling-down-green-deal-best-strategy.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Charveriat |first1=Céline |last2=Bausch |first2=Camilla |last3=Treyer |first3=Sébastien |last4=Nilsson |first4=Måns |last5=Müller |first5=Alexander |last6=Bernasconi-Osterwalder |first6=Nathalie |last7=Sánchez |first7=María José Sanz |last8=Christopoulou |first8=Ioli |last9=Zwolak |first9=Katarzyna |display-authors=etal |title=Russia's War in Ukraine: Why doubling down on the Green Deal is the best strategy |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=10 March 2022 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/insight/russias-war-ukraine-why-doubling-down-green-deal-best-strategy |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{charveriat2022russias, author = {Charveriat, Céline and Bausch, Camilla and Treyer, Sébastien and Nilsson, Måns and Müller, Alexander and Bernasconi-Osterwalder, Nathalie and Sánchez, María José Sanz and Christopoulou, Ioli and Zwolak, Katarzyna and Dostál, Vít and Méhes, Martina and Orsini, Raimondo}, title = {{Russia's War in Ukraine: Why doubling down on the Green Deal is the best strategy}}, publisher = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2022}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/insight/russias-war-ukraine-why-doubling-down-green-deal-best-strategy}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }