In response to the European Commission’s proposed package of new sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, including a long-awaited embargo on Russian oil by 2023, Anusha Narayanan, Greenpeace USA climate campaign director said:
“The EU’s proposed ban on Russian oil is a notable step toward ending Putin’s fossil-fueled war in Ukraine. Peace and energy security will be powered by renewables, not by trading Russian oligarchs for American oil and gas barons. A ban on Russian oil is an opportunity for the EU to cut oil and gas consumption and rapidly transition to renewable energy. Western oil and gas companies like BP, Shell, and Exxon are collectively responsible for nearly $100 billion going to the Russian Government since Russia’s 2014 Crimea invasion. We can’t rely on them to keep us safe. Now is the time for the Biden administration to help both the US and the EU accelerate the renewable energy transition. The Defense Production Act could be used to manufacture and deploy additional renewable energy along with energy saving and weatherization technology such as heat pumps for immediate domestic use and for export abroad to lessen reliance on not only Russian oil but all oil.”
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NOTES:
Photos and videos from Greenpeace USA protest of a tanker delivering Russian fossil fuels to New York are available in the Greenpeace media library.
Greenpeace EU response to the proposed ban is available here: https://www.greenpeace.org/eu-unit/issues/climate-energy/46170/proposed-eu-ban-on-russian-oil-greenpeace-comment/
Media contact:
Tyler Kruse
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(808) 741-2791
