Conflict in Ukraine, UN Climate Change Report Underscore Ongoing Threats
(Solutions from the Land) The Russian invasion of Ukraine – mounted by a man who, for all intents and purposes, is a petroleum dictator – brings to the forefront the risk posed to the energy security of all nations who depend heavily on fossil fuels for power, transportation, heating and other functions. It also brings into sharp focus the need for a new, clean and secure energy future.
This has been one of SfL’s core goals dating back to our formation in 2004 of the 25x’25 Alliance.
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But the war in Eastern Europe has laid bare the world’s continuing indifference to these warnings, underscoring the risk our dependence on petroleum-derived fuels and the precarious situation it puts us in when nations like Russia exploit dependence on fossil energy to achieve their geopolitical goals. While there is no immediate solution to climate change, action can be taken to decarbonize the economy and reduce our dependence on oil.
A clear example is unlocking the wider deployment of biofuels. One of the quickest ways to achieve national energy and economic security is to remove any impediments to deploying ready-to-distribute homegrown, low carbon and lower cost biofuels. EPA has the authority to improve fuel quality by approving higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel in our nation’s gasoline and diesel fuel supply, and President Biden should direct the agency to do so immediately.
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SfL promotes Climate Smart Agriculture and other integrated land management solutions to help meet food security, economic development, climate change and conservation of biodiversity goals. Our approach has principally been designed to help growers better deal with the increasing challenges posed by Mother Nature and to contribute high-value GHG emission reductions. But as the conflict in Ukraine is showing, our work can also serve to buffer the geopolitical upheaval and intimidation that seem to arise in this world all too often. A new world order is emerging, and the good news is that sustainably managed farms, ranches and forests are shovel-ready solution platforms. Let’s step up the call for policies that not only enable these platforms, but also provide for their full potential and the contributions that can be realized. READ MORE
