By Ruth Tene Natsa, Abuja
A Ukranian Group, Razom We Stand has launched a “Manifesto for a New Ukraine and a New World” as a solution to the continual war in Ukraine.
The Group says the goal of the manifesto is to end the war by drying up Putin’s war machine with a new global campaign for a full embargo on exports of all Russian fossil fuels and accelerated clean energy transition.
Director of Razom We Stand, Svitlana Romanko, in a statement to www.earthnewsng.com, states that “The embargo on Russian fossil fuels that we have pushed for is taking effect, but this is too slow, and we need more action now.
It’s time for policymakers and powerbrokers to cut murderous oil, gas, and coal money flows to Russia completely. Next, Ukraine can and should be rebuilt without dirty energy, hitting Putin, other petro-dictators, and the oil and gas industry in their weakest spot: by taking away their profits. Ukraine is already starting to rebuild its energy grid and this should be done in a decentralized, sustainable fashion and powered by clean energy.
Romako said “Putin has unwittingly disrupted energy markets forever, and forced through an acceleration of a just and clean energy transition. By launching our Manifesto, and joining efforts with others in 2023, we can push Russian oil and gas income to zero and drive a clean energy revolution in Ukraine, Europe, and globally.
By doing so we will ensure that this “first” grim anniversary will be the last. Once Russia’s oil and gas trades, which are the lifeline of the terrorist petrostate, are displaced from energy markets by clean renewable energy, its export revenues will dwindle and its ability to threaten the whole world will collapse.” She said
The group said ”Our Manifesto has five critical points for advocacy for strategic actions from national governments and international organizations including the European Union, the G7, and the G20.
The Areas according to them include: Enforcing a FULL set of energy sanctions against Russia, Investing in the European continental grid with Ukraine, Defunding the fossil fuel industry, Democratizing green transition, and Cutting global oil and gas demand.
Ukraine’s fight against fossil-fueled oppression must become a beginning for breaking free from fossil-fueled petro-dictatorships around the entire world. The rebuilding of Ukraine should be the beginning of a global movement for clean, renewable, and safe energy.
The campaign is seeking global support with a call to sign the Manifesto before the key landmark Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2023), which will be hosted by the UK in London on 21-22 June 2023. This event for national leaders should set Ukraine on the path towards green reconstruction, a path of ambition and achievement that can create a global showcase of the rapid and profound energy transition.
Addressing the UK parliament in February 2023, Ukrainian President Zelensky said that a “Ukrainian victory will change the world – the change the world has long needed”. This perspective has supported our belief that it is the hopeful positive vision of a better future detailed in our Manifesto that will drive this change. Our vision includes transitioning away from fossil fuels and towards a clean energy future, which will also solve the growing climate crisis.
According to a new report by CREA, in January-February 2023 Russian fossil fuel exports fell 50% below their 2022 peak, with exports to the EU falling almost 90%. Yet, Russia is still making an estimated EUR 560 mln per day by exporting fossil fuels to fund its brutal invasion of Ukraine.
