EUvsDisinfo: Weaponising climate change to undermine the West
Kremlin propaganda distorts every news item, even the most insignificant, to undermine liberal democracy around the world - sometimes even taking up topics that it generally treats with disdain or contempt.
This is the case with climate change. The Kremlin-linked disinformation network has largely ignored them: the COP30 climate conference in Brazil in November has so far attracted little attention from mainstream media. But the adoption of the EU’s 18th package of sanctions this summer has prompted Moscow to use the European Green Deal as a weapon in its hybrid war against the West.
Disinformation about decarbonization
Russia’s economy, and therefore its ability to continue the war against Ukraine, is based on the extraction, use and export of fossil fuels. So it is no surprise that the Kremlin perceives the EU’s green agenda and its decarbonization efforts as a direct threat to its imperial expansion.
Over the years, the Kremlin’s manipulation machine has created a number of narratives about Europe’s strategic transition from a carbon-based economy to a sustainable one. According to these narratives, green energy is a costly scam, renewable energy is a failure, and the EU’s energy and climate policies are short-sighted and damaging to its own economy.
All of this is far from the truth. The EU’s green agenda, embodied in the European Green Deal and the Clean Industry Pact, cuts emissions to protect the climate. It does this by reducing Europe’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels and strengthening the economy. Since 1990, the EU’s emissions have been falling and the economy has been growing, proving that economic growth and emissions reductions go hand in hand. Prosperity and sustainability are not mutually exclusive – The green transition and support for sectors with potential for future growth are the only way to ensure economic prosperity in a world moving away from fossil fuels.
However, Russia continues to spread its false messages.
In Poland, pro-Kremlin media outlets suggest that the European Green Deal is killing Polish farmers and industry - the foundations of the national economy. Another Polish outlet wrote that European industry is paralyzed by high electricity prices, which is due to the “self-destructive policy of Brussels and Berlin“. The Kremlin uses these baseless insinuations to undermine public support for the EU's climate measures - in the eyes of the propaganda, these are schemes that elites spin and that harm ordinary citizens - a key Kremlin method of breaking public consensus.
Green protectionism
Another common narrative claims that the EU’s green agenda has actually been a means of slowing economic growth in the global South and eliminating potential economic competitors. For example, it is claimed that European countries use “green protectionism” to ensure that the benefits of trade go only to them. France is specifically accused of using the theme of environmental problems to block imports from Latin America.
The Kremlin spreads these narratives to question the EU’s motives and legitimacy regarding climate policy. The EU, for its part, always listens to its partners and provides financial and technical assistance for the implementation of climate-related regulations. Policies such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism may affect third countries, but include provisions that take into account local climate measures. Ultimately, the Mechanism helps countries shift their economies towards sustainable low-carbon industries. The EU is supporting countries in this transition and is the world's largest donor of climate finance with initiatives such as the €300 billion Global Gateway for energy transformation and infrastructure.
Protecting oil with propaganda
In fact, the real reason that motivates these media outlets to lament the supposedly adverse effects of European green policies is something else entirely: the EU sanctions against Russia – and in particular against its energy sector – which have been a top priority for the Kremlin since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The implication is that the sanctions are ineffective. That they have failed to harm the Russian economy and have instead deepened the economic crisis in Europe. According to Russia’s manipulative narratives, Europe is committing economic suicide by depriving itself of Russian energy, and companies are warning that they are moving production abroad and cutting jobs – and all this because of EU sanctions.
In late 2022, Russia launched advertisements on the Internet, which Europe's refusal of Russian oil and gas will cause a new “ice age“ on the continent, prompting freezing Europeans to head to Russia – where, according to the advertisements, people could still afford electricity and heating. The message was clear: abandoning Russian energy would lead to disaster.
In fact, the gradual divestment from Russian energy is a deliberate EU strategy to protect against Russian coercion, diversify supplies and accelerate investment in reliable and affordable renewable energy and modern infrastructure. Russia has proven itself to be an unreliable energy supplier through repeated supply disruptions – such as those in 2006 and 2022. The use of energy as a geopolitical tool to exert political and economic pressure and the manipulative practices of Russian gas suppliers pose a significant risk to the EU's energy stability. This has accelerated the EU's urgent efforts to diversify energy sources and reduce its dependence on Russian gas.
When Moscow speaks loudly about “green tyranny“ and “climate fraud“, it is not participating in the debate on environmental policies – it is using disinformation as a weapon to protect its oil and gas empire. The Green Deal threatens the Kremlin’s revenues and strategic influence, which is why its disinformation machine is working at an ever-increasing pace. The EU has no reason to deviate from its course towards energy independence – on the contrary, what is happening confirms its need and provides an opportunity for even more investment in the green transition.
Russia’s oil and gas sector remains the main source of financing for the war in Ukraine. This is precisely why the Kremlin so persistently portrays Europe as dependent and weak – to keep the money flowing and support its war machine.
Let us not be fooled.
EUvsDisinfo/ translation: European Commission Representation in Bulgaria