The current oil crisis and geopolitical tensions have many people feeling the price squeeze – especially at the gas pump. Unfortunately, this is history repeating itself and should serve as a wake-up call to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels, argues Dr. Irmak Karakislak in an op-ed published in The Brussels Times.
The pattern is similar, she points out: rising geopolitical tensions, constrained supply routes and sudden surges in energy prices. The reactionary measures? All in the same vein. Countries diversify suppliers, secure infrastructures and release oil reserves.
This is way is the way it is with our fossil fuel-dependent system. But does it have to be like this?
With more secure energy alternatives, such as renewables on the rise, it doesn’t have to be, contends Karakislak. It is an opportunity to move beyond the short-term thinking that is plaguing society today, which locks us in a cycle of crises. In contrast to the risks and vulnerabilities fossil fuels continue to expose us to, renewables “offer a model of an energy system that is more localized, more distributed, and much less dependent on geopolitical conflicts.”
Renewables are also becoming the most cost-effective source of power generation as 91% of new projects, such as wind and solar installations, are cheaper than fossil fuel alternatives. They can be domestically generated, which can solidify grids at home and reduce dependence abroad.
But the window to transition away before the worst impacts of climate change is getting smaller, and each crisis takes time away from building resilience, she points out.
In her final remarks, she poses two blunt questions:
“Do we want to keep rebuilding the same vulnerable system, crisis after crisis? Or are we finally willing to let go and not only phase out fossil fuels but also embrace the change that could solve several of humanity’s big crises simultaneously?”
“What we do know is that time is not on our side,” she warns.
Read the full article in The Brussels Times here.
