Sanctions against Russia have intensified Europe’s search for alternative energy suppliers. One of them is Colombia whose President Duque seeks to take advantage of the country’s coal reservoirs. This is likely to aggravate already existing socio-environmental conflicts and human rights violations for inhabitants of major mining regions.
European Energy Supply, without Russia?
In response to Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, the European Union (EU) has introduced numerous sanctions. These target Russia’s imminently important energy sector. On April 8th, the EU Member States announced an important ban for Russian coal from August 2022 onwards. Up until then, 70% of European thermal coal imports had come from Russia.
This has sparked a global search for viable alternatives. Increased imports from other major suppliers, including Australia, South Africa and the US, play an important role in this regard. Colombia is another candidate which seems willing and capable of increasing its coal sales to Europe. … Read more
