BRUSSELS — The fossil fuel industry is exploiting Europe’s scramble to replace Russian gas to lock the continent into a long-term dependence on dirty energy, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore told POLITICO in an interview.
“They’re way better at capturing politicians than they are at capturing emissions,” said Gore, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for his efforts in raising awareness of climate change.
Gore said Russian President Vladimir Putin weaponized Russian gas “as a tool to bully Europe” into not responding to his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. That compelled the EU to find short-term energy fixes that fossil fuel companies turned into an economic opportunity.
U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas to Europe spiked after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine as pipeline supplies from Russia were crimped. The imports helped Europe navigate an energy crisis and, with supply from other countries and the ramping up of green energy, put Europe in a position to detach fully from Russian gas by 2027, according to the European Commission.
