April 18, 2022

Help the Earth and Fight Putin


Help the Earth and Fight Putin
A green solution to a hefty problem? Lesya Polyakova

German economists warn against going cold-turkey with Russian energy, believing it could lead to a 2023 recession. Germany's solution? Ride your bike.

Germany currently opposes a complete embargo on Russian energy and still receives 40% of its gas and 25% of its oil from Russia. Thus, Vice-Chancellor Habeck, who is also economics minister and co-leader of the Greens, has suggested multiple ways that Germans can lower their energy usage, such as riding their bikes instead or driving, lowering the thermostat a degree, drawing the curtains to retain heat, and even recommending to bosses that employees work from home once or twice a week.

In an interview with the BBC, President Zelensky said that, as long as Russia continues to profit from oil exports, it has no reason to be serious about peace talks. As such, saving energy in German homes is a peaceful method for fighting Russian aggression.

All of these efforts can of course help limit dependency on Russian energy, but Zelensky and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba are still looking to Germany for more substantial ways to help fight the invasion.

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