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The European branch of Politico recognized Russian President Vladimir Putin as the most influential green energy influencer in Europe because his war crimes "forced Europe to finally break its fossil fuel addiction."
In their inaugural "Green 28" list of the 28 most impactful movers and shakers promoting the climate change agenda in Europe, Politico Europe put Putin at the number one spot because his war on Ukraine has forced the rest of Europe to divest from fossil fuels.
The entry noted, "It took a war criminal to speed up Europe’s green revolution. By invading Ukraine and manipulating energy supplies to undermine European support for Kyiv, Russian President Vladimir Putin has achieved something generations of green campaigners could not — clean energy is now a fundamental matter of European security."
BIDEN SAYS PUTIN 'MISCALCULATED SIGNIFICANTLY' IN 'IRRATIONAL' RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE
Vladimir Putin delivers an address flanked by men in military uniforms. (AP) (Pavel Bednyakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Because of Putin’s war on its neighboring country, a plan from the EU "was sketched out aimed at unhooking the Continent’s energy ties from Moscow. It leaned on three pillars: cutting oil, gas and coal supplies from Russia; getting gas and other fossil fuels from elsewhere; and massively speeding up the roll out of renewable power and energy saving measures."
In short, Russia forced Europe to go green, and quickly.
A corresponding tweet from PoliticoEurope conveyed a slightly more celebratory tone, as if the energy crisis foisted on Europe because of the Russian invasion, was a good thing – an end to an "addiction."
The tweet stated, "It took a war criminal to speed up Europe’s green revolution. Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine has forced Europe to finally break its fossil fuel addiction. For this reason, he has topped our inaugural #POLITICOGreen28 list."
The entry mentioned the good news, that in the wake of the crisis, the continent is turning to cleaner energy. "Seven months on, a POLITICO survey of data on clean energy, energy savings and policies shows that the first signs of that green surge are appearing. Analysts are in little doubt that the change is structural, permanent and historic."
It cited Brussels-based think tank Bruegel and research fellow Simone Tagliapietra, who claimed, "We will look back at this situation in 10 years time and see, OK, that was the moment where we really got serious about the green transition and we really had the big green acceleration."
AS PUTIN TURNS 70, FORMER RUSSIA INSIDER WEIGHS IN ON LIKELIHOOD OF NUCLEAR MOVE
Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, attends the Victory Day military parade marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) (AP)
PoliticoEurope described how Putin’s actions could not have been better timed. "He attacked Europe’s energy system just as an array of cheap and reliable alternatives became realistic. That’s not only solar and wind, which now generate power at a fraction of the cost of gas; products that even five years ago had barely entered the market, such as heat pumps, are now mature."
Doubling down on this sentiment, the outlet added, "Putin also invaded Ukraine after the EU had spent two years laying the foundations of its Green Deal program for zeroing out emissions by 2050. That meant the policy machinery for a total remake of the European energy economy was already moving. All it needed was a nudge."
Taking a slightly more pessimistic turn, the entry acknowledged, "The green acceleration doesn’t mean Europeans will avoid a succession of brutally cold and expensive winters." Still Putin’s actions have "broadened the political coalition for green energy."
In that way, PoliticoEurope added, "Putin’s influence on Europe’s green agenda in 2022 is inarguable. Every decision on investment, research and policy is now being filtered through the lens of energy as a matter of European security."
Climate protesters demonstrate outside Norwegian parliament in Oslo, Friday, Sept. 20, 2019. Protesters around the world joined rallies on Friday as a day of worldwide demonstrations calling for action against climate change began ahead of a U.N. summit in New York. (Berit Roald/NTB Scanpix)
The entry concluded, "But the consequences mean an EU that becomes greener, faster, than before Russian troops marched across the Ukrainian border."
Fox News Digital reached out to PoliticoEurope for comment as to why it framed the story this way, though the outlet has yet to respond.
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