Reducing energy consumption: the best way to cut ties with Russian oil and gas in record time

As the war in Ukraine continues, proposals to address the energy crisis are multiplying, such as the government’s “economic and social resilience plan.” But these measures do not truly address the need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuel imports.

We keep hearing about false solutions

For example, for natural gas:

• Fill storage capacity to the max: but do we even have the means to fill it, and even if we do, it’ll last a year—and then what?
• Increasing production capacity in Norway, the United Kingdom, and even North Africa: the reserves in these regions are already almost all in decline!
• Increase LNG imports from other countries, such as the United States: even without considering shale gas, LNG emits more greenhouse gases than Russian gas ^[1] ; it takes 2–3 years to build LNG terminals to receive LNG on our soil ^[2] ; and we're just replacing one dependency with another. What will happen when gas prices rise even further because of these geopolitical dependencies?

Each of these so-called “solutions” can replace only 5–20% of Russian gas, requiring considerable industrial efforts that are far from immediate and likely unrealistic—especially in a global energy market where Europe is not alone. And even if they were implemented, the pressure on gas prices would likely not ease and would continue to cost Europe a fortune.

It's mentioned a little energy efficiency, but all too rarely of energy efficiency. Yet this is the most powerful set of measures we have to wean ourselves off Russian oil and gas within 1 to 2 years. It would reduce demand—and potentially ease price pressures—and would finally put us on track to comply with the Paris Agreement.

The real solution is to reduce our energy consumption

So what are we talking about?

Let's clarify the concept of simplicity, often labeled as a personal sacrifice or a return to the days of candlelight. We do talk about changing our lifestyles to reduce our energy consumption, but above all, it’s about bringing some rationality to our excessive energy use. There’s no need to take your car for a trip of just a few kilometers, for example. So this isn’t about individual effort; it’s about collectively organizing these changes so that they’re easy to adopt and socially valued. The perfect example is the bicycle. With safe, continuous, high-quality bike lanes, cycling becomes enjoyable—faster than driving in the city, more economical, better for your health, and so on.

In fact, 58% of French men and women fully understand that we will need to change our lifestyles, and 64% of them are willing to accept these changes if they are shared fairly among all members of our society. ^[3]

To reduce our greenhouse gas emissions (which means moving away from fossil fuels), three strategies—including energy conservation—must be implemented ^[4] :

These measures are complementary and necessary to achieve the Paris Agreement. We cannot achieve carbon neutrality through energy conservation alone, because we would continue to consume fossil fuels that are incompatible with this agreement. We cannot achieve carbon neutrality through low-carbon energy sources alone, because we would still emit too many greenhouse gases if energy consumption levels remained comparable to today’s or even continued to rise.

Let's apply this logic to natural gas and oil to see the impact of major measures on the amount of energy coming from Russia.

First, it should be noted that the figures presented are averages. As such, they mask social disparities (energy insecurity, mobility insecurity) that must be taken into account when implementing these measures. The goal here is to identify the general orders of magnitude.

Oil: Nearly 60% Is Used in Transportation in France

We could eliminate our reliance on Russian oil in the transportation sector in less than a year by implementing a few energy-saving measures

Gas: Nearly 50% is used in buildings in France

We could stop using Russian gas in the building within 1–2 years by implementing a few measures

It should be noted that the proposed measures are not exhaustive. They are intended to be among the most fundamental to the energy transition. Furthermore, we must not forget our other dependencies on Russia, such as metals and food resources.

Conclusion: Energy conservation measures would very quickly allow us to largely free ourselves from Russian gas and oil

We shouldn't pit everything against each other: all measures, including the most conventional ones, must be considered. They will be complementary and additive, helping us move even further toward our independence from fossil fuels.

Emmanuel Macron’s declaration that “we are at war” left a lasting impression at the start of the health crisis. And yet, against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, there’s no need for a “whatever the cost” approach: generally speaking, energy conservation and efficiency measures require little funding and/or are virtually self-financing. They often even generate additional income for households in the short to medium term, assuming energy prices remain constant. ^[5]

Of course, this requires an effort to change our habits, but hasn’t the health crisis shown us that we’re capable of doing so? Aren’t we in a time of war? What would our grandparents say if they thought back to food rationing during World War II? Probably that it’s better to choose frugality collectively than to have it imposed on us.