Another Strike for Climate Change: The Nord Stream Gas Leak

With tensions mounting between the European Union (EU) and Russia, the Nord Stream gas leak represents both another blow to an already-weakened relationship and a disastrous event for climate change. This crisis highlights the need for diversification of EU energy capabilities and reliable access to clean energy.

The Nord Stream Gas Pipeline (NSGP) is a 1,224 km twin-pipeline linking Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, supplying 55 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas each year. This pipeline became fully operational in 2012, while a second twin pipeline, Nord Stream 2, was scheduled to begin operations in 2022. Combined, they would supply 110bcm of gas yearly. Notably, Europe requires over 100bcm yearly.

However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine halted any progress on Nord Stream 2. Germany suspended the pipeline’s certification process during their implementation of sanctions against Russia, preventing it from becoming operational. Furthermore, Russia’s actions have prompted renewed discussions on diversifying Europe’s energy to lessen its dependence on Russia. According to the European Commission, the EU will end its reliance on Russian resources by 2030. President Biden also said that further invasions from Russia would eliminate any future use of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

On September 26, 2022, Danish and Swedish authorities reported four explosions at different locations on the two pipelines in the Baltic Sea. While neither pipeline was actively transporting natural gas, each pipe contained pressurized methane which released into the ocean upon the blasts. Initial reports suggest that this is the most significant discharge of methane ever recorded. The eventual emission volume could be equivalent to 778 million standard cubic metres of natural gas (a third of Denmark’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2020).

Western governments have yet to directly assign blame for this disaster. Meanwhile, Russia has pointed its finger at the West. Investigations are ongoing, with Sweden’s national security service reporting that the pipelines have suffered extensive damage and that they heavily suspect sabotage. Denmark is also carrying out their own investigation. The Kremlin has rejected all allegations of their involvement, calling reports of Russian sabotage “quite predictable and also predictably stupid.” However, motivations for either side remain unclear; thus, assigning blame remains difficult before authorities complete their investigations.

Regardless of who is at fault, this attack represents an evident loss for climate change. Methane is the main component of natural gas and is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide with regard to impacting climate change. This harmful greenhouse gas is responsible for 30% of the rise in global temperatures since the industrial revolution, and restricting its emissions is paramount to limiting climate change effects. To complicate matters, this leak is the first from a major underwater pipeline, thus the actual effects this methane poses on the aquatic environment remain unclear.

While this event does not advance the fight against climate change, it may shed some light on how significant of an issue methane emissions are worldwide. Manfredi Caltagirone, head of the International Methane Emissions Observatory, stated, “It is important to put it in context of a larger problem that we have, that we need to fix.” In 2021, the energy sector emitted around 135 million metric tons of methane due to their oil and gas operations. Even though the Nord Stream leak is the largest recorded, it is only equivalent to two days of the fossil fuel industry’s regular emissions. These numbers indicate a much larger global problem. Unfortunately, the leak on the Nord Stream is the least of our problems. 

In the aftermath of the crisis, European countries must increase their coal and energy supply for the upcoming winter months. Germany, for example, is now turning their coal plants back on and delaying the complete shutdown of two of its nuclear power plants to combat shortages. As Europe turns to fossil fuels to assuage the crisis, greenhouse gas emissions will increase, and the transition to cleaner energy sources will slow. Furthermore, cutbacks on Russian energy have caused skyrocketing energy prices, leading to recession fears. European countries must now take whatever energy they can get ahold of, no matter how destructive it is for the environment, to ensure that their citizens stay warm over the winter months.

While European countries scramble for energy sources, Putin remains an advocate for opening Nord Stream 2, stating that if test results come back clean on one of the damaged pipes, Russia is ready to use them. However, German government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann rules out this possibility, maintaining that there is no prospect of Germany accepting energy from Russia through Nord Stream.

The Nord Stream gas leak represents not only a political and economic crisis for the European Union, but also a global climate disaster. EU nations must determine how they will sustainably divest their energy sources from Russia to prevent higher costs and limit emissions. Globally, governments must replicate the outrage demonstrated towards the Nord Stream leak to total methane emissions worldwide and ensure accountability for fossil fuel industries moving forward.