Oxfam warns of Europe’s over-reliance on fossil fuels

A new report from aid agency Oxfam says that the crisis in Ukraine and resulting tensions with Russia are a wake-up call for Europe to reassess its energy mix.

Russia's absence from the G7 summit is a stark warning to Europe that political turmoil on its doorstep risks an energy price crisis, the international agency warned.

In Fit for a Food and Energy Secure World?, Oxfam highlights the fact that Russia is Europe's top supplier for both oil and gas, with European countries paying an average of about €250 per head of population to Russian oil and gas giants last year. The EU spent €400 billion on fossil fuel imports last year – more than €1 billion a day. 

Oxfam is concerned about Europe's over-reliance on fossil fuels because of their contribution to climate change. It maintains Europe is at an energy crossroads with two clear options. It can continue to rely on imported fossil fuels alongside dirty and expensive 'home-grown' energy sources like coal and fracking. Or it could choose a more sustainable pathway, cutting energy dependency, reducing prices and helping prevent runaway climate change, which is already affecting food production. 

Oxfam's Campaigns and Policy Director Sally Copley said: "Unless Europe acts now to break its addiction to dirty and costly fossil fuels then both Europeans and the world's poorest will pay the price. "It's in all our interests for Europe to end its reliance on dirty imports and instead develop clean, safe and affordable energy at home."