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Isolate Putin. Insulate homes.
(EurActiv, 16 May 2022) As part of the plan to break away from Russian fossil fuels, due to be tabled on Wednesday (18 May), Europe needs new action on energy efficiency, energy savings and the renovation wave writes Ciarán Cuffe.
Ciarán Cuffe is a Green lawmaker from Ireland and is leading the European Parliament negotiations on revising the energy performance of buildings directive.
Putin’s war against Ukraine is causing death, hardship and destruction. It has also exposed Europe’s dependence on Russian oil and gas imports and fossil fuels more generally.
This week, the European Commission will present its strategy to tackle this with the REPowerEU plan, which aims to make the EU completely independent from Russian fossil fuels by 2027.
However, it overlooks the potential of one crucial power play – energy efficiency. Europe can isolate Putin, by insulating our homes.
As it stands, the REPowerEU plan will set out how to adapt our economies and energy use to life without Russian oil and gas. The plan is the result of repeated demands from the European Parliament and EU leaders.
It will include short-term actions such as direct income support for households in energy poverty, some energy efficiency measures, more capacities for renewable energy production and the installation of 10 million heat pumps.
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