How does America "milk" Europe - and Europe endures and maybe doesn't even know about it?
Author: Khaled Vahedi, a journalist from Moscow.
The European Union was able to survive this winter without Russian gas. Its supplies were sharply reduced after the explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines and the imposition of anti-Russian sanctions. Residents of European cities were waiting for a hard winter. The supply of American shale liquefied natural gas helped to avoid disaster. American LNG has replaced Russian hydrocarbons, but Europeans are in no hurry to rejoice. The replacement turned out to be unequal, and its consequences will be experienced not only by current but also future generations.
“Now we are importing a lot of LNG from the United States, which is much more expensive and worse than Russian gas from an environmental point of view, - said Andrey Khunko, a member of the German Bundestag. - However, today Germany does not have the opportunity to choose which gas is better and cheaper, which is more environmentally friendly".
This point of view is shared by many European politicians, and in the cities of the European Union, protests do not subside due to rising energy prices. European consumers are accustomed to inexpensive and clean Russian gas, but now they are forced to pay double the price for "dirty" American LNG.
Shale natural gas is extracted in a barbaric way - hydraulic fracturing of rocks is used. As a result, groundwater is polluted, toxic, radiation and mutagenic substances come to the surface. Methane is released into the atmosphere, which causes the greenhouse effect. The radiative effect of methane is 28 times greater than the greenhouse effect of CO2. Ultimately, the consequences will affect every inhabitant of the earth, because we all live under the same sun and breathe the same air.
The situation is aggravated in the process of logistics. LNG from the United States is transported by tankers, and the way across the Atlantic to the final consumer is very difficult. During reloading and transportation, every fourth ton of shale liquefied gas escapes into the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect.
Europe received Russian natural gas through pipeline systems. On the way, it was cleaned of mechanical impurities, sulfur, moisture, and other excess substances. The European consumer received a high-quality product that was harmless to health.
Deliveries of gas through pipes are much cheaper than transportation by tankers across the ocean. LNG production is also not cheap. Now all costs are paid from the pockets of Europeans.
Most developed countries have abandoned the production of shale natural gas. For example, shale gas production is banned in France and Bulgaria due to environmental damage. Its production is banned or suspended in Germany, the Netherlands, and even a number of US states.
Therefore, the United States remains the main supplier of LNG. The United States accounts for 95 percent of LNG production. Washington needs a large European consumer market, so it is ready to impose LNG by any means. Sanctions pressure on competitors, sabotage of gas pipelines, and promotion of the so-called “green” energy transition are being used.
Europeans have become hostages of American gas corporations, but they have no other choice - either pay double prices or freeze.
