Hi John,

Firstly, from everyone at Greenpeace UK we want to send you love and solidarity in this horrendous time. Our thoughts and our love is with everyone affected by the invasion - we hope for a de-escalation and ultimately, for peace.

Europe's leaders are scrambling to ramp up the pressure on Vladimir Putin, but the grim truth is that the longer the EU and the UK send millions of pounds a day to Russia for natural gas, the longer he’s able to bankroll his war machine. [1] We’ve seen sanctions on many things in the past week, but what we haven’t seen yet is an urgent end to Russian gas imports.

To get off gas we need the UK government to move fast with an Emergency Energy Package. This will replace gas boilers with heat pumps, insulate homes and train the experts required to get off Russian gas that is fuelling war - and the climate crisis. Can you call on Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak to take bold emergency action now?

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Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has revealed the hidden cost of Europe’s dependence on Russia’s oil and gas. As the tanks drive further into Ukraine, the UK and Europe send millions of pounds a day to Russia for oil and gas. [2][3] Our dependence on Russian gas is not only driving up bills, and fueling the climate crisis - but it’s also funding war. [4]

The UK is on track to spend £2bn this year on Russian gas. [5] That needs to change. To get off gas, the UK govt. will need to take bold action in the face of this emergency - they must give us an Emergency Energy Package to insulate homes, replace boilers with heat pumps and boost ever-cheaper solar and wind power. This means we can stand up to Putin, tackle soaring bills and address the climate crisis.

In the face of this tragic situation, the German government has shown the type of bold leadership our government must imitate. They’ve stopped Nord Stream 2, an $11billion gas pipeline from Russia to Germany. They’ve also brought forward their renewable energy targets by 15 years to 2035 which Chancellor Olaf Shulz said was ‘decisive not only for our economy and the environment. It is also decisive for our security’. We need that decisiveness in the UK government right now. [6]

As calls for the UK to drop Russian gas intensify, the UK government must look at the best options to fill that energy gap. The fossil fuel lobby and some MPs want that to be new North Sea oil and gas fields that could take a quarter of a century to develop. We can’t wait that long. The Netherlands was able to cut gas demand by 22% in just two years by building more renewables - the UK needs to do similar. [7]

Rishi Sunak’s Spring Statement is due in less than 3 weeks. To properly tackle this crisis we need major, radical investment that delivers a clean and efficient UK energy system that can help tackle our energy security issues, the climate crisis and the cost of living crisis - and stops bankrolling Putin’s war machine. Can you call on Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak to take action?

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The Western world must give up their Russian gas addiction - and Boris Johnson agrees. [8] On Monday it’s widely reported that the EU will bring forth their ambitious plan to get off Putin’s gas too. Europe is taking action to cut ties to Russian gas - we need our government to act too. [9] Make sure you tell them too.

Thank you for everything you do, sending love and solidarity.

Anthony and the Energy team
Greenpeace UK

Notes:
[1, 8] Q&A: What does Russia’s invasion of Ukraine mean for energy and climate change?: [link removed]
[2] How Europe is funding Putin’s war: [link removed]
[3] Britain to spend more than £2bn on Russian gas imports: [link removed]
[4] How the UK’s reliance on gas turned an energy furore into an energy crisis: [link removed]
[5] Nuclear, coal, LNG: 'no taboos' in Germany's energy about-face: [link removed]
[6] Stop guzzling Russian gas, Boris Johnson tells Europe: [link removed]
[9] Leak: EU drafts plan to ditch Russian gas: [link removed]



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