This article is part of ourEconomy's series 'Spotlight on the European Green Deal'.
With much fanfare, governments across Europe are announcing ambitious targets to achieve climate neutrality. President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has promised to put the climate at the heart of her presidency, calling the Green Deal “Europe’s man on the moon moment.” But at the same time, from Brunsbüttel in Germany to Athens in Greece, energy companies are constructing or planning liquefied gas terminals (LNG) and laying pipelines from the Baltic to the Aegean.
If Europe is to meet its ‘carbon neutral’ target by 2050, it must reduce its fossil fuel consumption. This is a given. But is switching from one form of fossil fuel (oil or coal) to another – gas – really the best way to do this? Based on data from the US-based organisation Global Energy Monitor (GEM,) Investigate Europe can demonstrate that the industry is either currently building or planning investments of at least €104bn in gas infrastructure.
