Fossil fuel lock-in: why gas is a false solution

Fossil fuel lock-in: why gas is a false solution Conference in Brussels, 25–28 September 2016 The oil and gas industry as well as the European Commis...
Author: Felicia Porter
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Fossil fuel lock-in: why gas is a false solution Conference in Brussels, 25–28 September 2016

The oil and gas industry as well as the European Commission currently advertise gas as a “climate friendly” or “low-carbon” fossil fuel and a “partner for renewables”. But while it is claimed that gas has a smaller carbon footprint than coal or oil, gas is in fact responsible for large quantities of greenhouse gas emissions. Not only is it still a polluting fossil fuel, but the methane released in the production and use of natural gas is more than 80 times worse for the climate than CO2 over the short-term. Furthermore, evidence shows gas competing with and displacing renewable energy projects. Rather than being climatefriendly, gas is another industry-promoted false solution, leading to a climate dead-end. Last December's climate conference in Paris agreed to “pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees”, and while certainly vague and non-binding, actually achieving this would mean leaving 80% percent of fossil fuel reserves must stay in the ground in order to have a chance to reach this goal. Nevertheless, worldwide, large exploration missions are going on; gas exploitation and gas trading is expected to rise. And Europe is a driving force in this rush for gas. Currently more than half of the natural gas used in the EU is imported from Norway, Russia, Qatar, Nigeria, and the Maghreb states Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. For the future, the EU plans to import natural gas from Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, the US, and from Iran. Oil and natural gas exploitation are often connected to human rights violations and environmental damage. A change of the energy policy in the North could change developments in the Global South, and there is a responsibility of the European Union to consider this. The EU energy security package from February 2016 gives way to large investments in LNG and gas infrastructure and to a future rise of natural gas imports – despite a continued decrease of gas use in Europe. The gas pipeline “Southern Gas Corridor” – a flagship project to bring gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe championed by some of the biggest oil and gas corporations – is largely supported by European institutions and its realisation is accelerating. In whose interest is the current rush for gas in the EU? What happens in the natural gas producer’s countries, what are the conditions of exploitation? What are the prospects of growth of natural gas exploitation? How can we as civil society collectively challenge this Program Fossil fuel conference, 25–28 September 2016, Draft Version 04/07/2016

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gas agenda and debunk myths around it? What can we do to show that gas development is counterproductive for the energy transition in Europe and worldwide and coordinate better against a new fossil fuel lock-in (after oil and coal)? How can we strengthen our alternatives and “energy democracy”?

Objectives: 

De-legitimize gas as a transition fuel;



Learn about consequences of the fossil fuel lock-in for environment, climate, human rights, and economy



Learn about EU gas politics and experience with resistance



Build campaigning capacity to fight gas and strengthen cooperation



Sharing knowledge about “energy democracy” and alternatives.

Target group: Energy and climate campaigners/activists

Languages: English, Spanish (maybe French, maybe Italian)

Organization: Corporate Europe Observatory Counter Balance Friends of the Earth Europe PowerShift e.V. Berlin Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Brussels Office

Contact: Marlis Gensler, Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Brussels Office, [email protected]

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Draft program Sunday, 25 September 2016 Arrival, Get-together

Monday, 26 September 2016 10.00 – 10.10

Welcome by Claus-Dieter König, Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Brussels

10.10 – 13.00

Part 1. Setting the scene: Gas and Climate – Why gas is a false solution and why do we have to address the issue Chair: Molly Walsh, Friends of the Earth Europe Expectations: Why this conference? (Laura Weis, PowerShift e.V. Berlin) Push for gas: Why is there such a massive push for gas by the oil and gas industry and the European Commission? (Pascoe Sabido, Corporate Europe Observatory) Local resistance: Environmental destruction and local resistance in the Groningen fields (N.N. Netherlands)

11.00 – 11.15

Coffee break Gas and Climate: Long lecture on gas and climate (N.N.) Questions & Answers, Discussion

13.00 – 14.00

Lunch

14.00 – 15.30

Part 2. Gas imports and infrastructure in Europe: New infrastructure projects as points of common reference? Chair: Xavier Sol, Counter Balance Gas imports and infrastructure: Prospects of growth of gas exploitation worldwide? Gas imports to Europe from where, how much? Short overview of planned gas infrastructure at EU level including assessment (N.N.) LNG-terminals: Where are they planned? How could we intervene? The Southern Gas Corridor: Gas pipeline system from Asia to Europe, and human rights violations in Azerbaijan (N.N. Azerbaijan or Emma Platform London ) The Trans-Adriatic-Pipeline (TAP): Resistance in transit countries (N.N. NoTAP Committee, Italy, or Elena Gerebizza, Re:common) The Spanish experience: Experience with mobilisation against gas infrastructure (N.N.) Keystone XL: Why was the resistance against the oil pipeline Keystone XL in Canada and the US so successful? What can we in Europe learn from the North-American campaign? (Jane Kleeb, Bold Nebraska, Campaign against Keystone XL, US)

15.30 – 15.45

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15:45 – 18:00

Strategy building (external facilitator) What is the experience at local and national level with gas politics? How does it relate to the EU level? How can we relate fights (along pipelines)? How to get gas on the agenda in the different countries?

18.00 – 18.30

Break

18.30 – 20:30

Part 3. Fossil fuel lock-in from a global perspective: consequences of gas exploitation for environment, economy, human rights, democracy – and why Europe should care Chair: Claus-Dieter König, Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Brussels Conditions of gas exploitation in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia: Conditions and consequences of gas exploitation in Algeria (Hamza Hamouchene, Algeria, and N.N. Tunisia and N.N. Morocco) European corporations abroad: Fracking in Argentina (Enrique Viale, OPSur, and Lorena Riffo, Tierra para Vivir, Argentina) Behind the scenes: Involvement of European banks, states and corporations in financing gas and fracking abroad (Regine Richter, urgewald) Trade agreements: How fossil fuel lock-in is built into trade agreements – the example of gas (Pascoe Sabido, Coroporate Europe Observatory)

20:30

Dinner

Tuesday, 27 September 2016 10.00 – 11.30

Part 4. EU-level: What is happening at the EU level? Where could and should we have a stronger collaboration between local, national and EU level? Chair: Antoine Simone, Friends of the Earth Europe Introduction: Why is more coordination at EU level important? Countering the push for “green gas” and “power-to-gas” (Antoine Simone, Friends of the Earth Europe) EU gas strategy: Energy Union, EU gas strategy and planned infrastructure investments. What is behind this plan? (Alfons Perez, ODG, Spain) Gas consumption in the EU, and interests of EU member states in the proposed gas developments (Jonathan Gaventa or Luca Bergamaschi, E3G, UK) Narrative: What is the industry's narrative and agenda? How can we counter it?

11.30 – 11.45

Coffee break

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11.45 – 14.00

Strategy building (external facilitator) What is the experience at local and national level with gas politics? How does it relate to the EU level? How can we relate fights (along pipelines)? How to get gas on the agenda in the different countries?

14.00 – 15.00

Lunch

15.00 – 16.00

Part 5. Energy democracy: alternatives to a new gas lockin in Europe Chair: Laura Weis, Powershift 100% renewables: What would a 100% renewable energy future look like? What scenarios are there? How can gas be replaced in the heating sector? (N.N. Denmark) Energy democracy: Community Energy: What do we really need in Europe? What sort of energy system do we want? (Molly Walsh, Friends of the Earth Europe)

16.00 – 16.15

Coffee break

16.15 – 17.00

Outlook, Feedback Chair: Claus-Dieter König What has been discussed, possible strategies, what do we need for a follow-up?

17:30 – 20.00

Lobby Tour With Pascoe Sabido, Corporate Europe Observatory

20:00

Dinner

Wednesday, 28 September 2016 Departure

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