EUROPE faces a looming energy crisis as reserves of fossils fuels reach a critical point. According to research conducted by the Global Sustainability Institute at Anglia Ruskin University the UK has less than five years worth of coal and three years of gas remaining from its domestic supply. The situation is even worse for France and Italy which could run out of fossil fuels within a year.
The United Kingdom is already reaching its highest levels of dependence since 1976. The news is likely to push this figure up as officials attempt to maintain what little resources the country still has. Based the data, however, large areas of Europe will be entirely reliant on foreign sources of fuel within the next five years.
With Russia’s supplies looking set to last for the next 50 years it may be the best source of supply to keep the lights on. While the West pushes for increased sanctions against Russian officials in response to the crisis in Ukraine it seems likely that they will come to nothing. President Putin’s government looks set to hold all the cards in the on-going gamesmanship between nations as Europe looks towards them for their energy needs.
Europe’s dependency on Russian gas and coal is already on a dramatic rise, with its own domestic supply about to run out this rise will only continues. As much as Europe may wish to provide support for Ukraine and demonstrate its condemnation of Russian aggression it may find that its own domestic needs start to take precedence.
Britain is already looking to other sources to prevent Russia having a stranglehold on the country. Having witnessed its gas supply declining over a sustained period it is sourcing the majority of its foreign supply from Norway. If Europe wants to ensure that it is not held over the proverbial fuel barrel then it must also start to find alternative suppliers for its coal supply.
Meanwhile the British government is placing its hope in renewable energy. A spokesman from the Department of Energy and Climate Change stated: “The UK is one of the most energy secure countries in the world thanks to the combination of our own reserves, our diverse sources of imported energy and our focus on increasing clean, home-grown energy in the UK - which includes nuclear, renewables and carbon capture and storage.
The United Kingdom is already reaching its highest levels of dependence since 1976. The news is likely to push this figure up as officials attempt to maintain what little resources the country still has. Based the data, however, large areas of Europe will be entirely reliant on foreign sources of fuel within the next five years.
With Russia’s supplies looking set to last for the next 50 years it may be the best source of supply to keep the lights on. While the West pushes for increased sanctions against Russian officials in response to the crisis in Ukraine it seems likely that they will come to nothing. President Putin’s government looks set to hold all the cards in the on-going gamesmanship between nations as Europe looks towards them for their energy needs.
Europe’s dependency on Russian gas and coal is already on a dramatic rise, with its own domestic supply about to run out this rise will only continues. As much as Europe may wish to provide support for Ukraine and demonstrate its condemnation of Russian aggression it may find that its own domestic needs start to take precedence.
Britain is already looking to other sources to prevent Russia having a stranglehold on the country. Having witnessed its gas supply declining over a sustained period it is sourcing the majority of its foreign supply from Norway. If Europe wants to ensure that it is not held over the proverbial fuel barrel then it must also start to find alternative suppliers for its coal supply.
Meanwhile the British government is placing its hope in renewable energy. A spokesman from the Department of Energy and Climate Change stated: “The UK is one of the most energy secure countries in the world thanks to the combination of our own reserves, our diverse sources of imported energy and our focus on increasing clean, home-grown energy in the UK - which includes nuclear, renewables and carbon capture and storage.
"As well as attracting record investment into our energy security since 2010, the UK is leading globally on energy security, particularly through the G7 which has agreed to take global action to improve energy security, and in getting a deal in the EU to cut carbon emissions by 40% by 2030."
Based on figures from the same department, however, renewable energy only accounted for 15.5 per cent of overall energy consumption by quarter two in 2013. Despite being a 60 per cent rise from 2012 if Britain is rely on its renewable energy to cover its imminent shortfall then it has a long way to go.
A likely source, to ensure security within Europe, could be Germany, which according to statistics has approximately 250 years worth of coal left, five times as much as Russia. With Britain becoming increasing Eurosceptic, however, it must now be looking at the long term consequences of distancing itself from its European neighbours.
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