Fear of Russia marks Europe's green policy - by Doug Saunders
On the surface, it was an act of ecological virtue: European Union leaders introduced a policy that would see its 500 million citizens cut their greenhouse-gas emissions by a fifth over the next 13 years, by far the world's largest global-warming pledge.
But behind the ambitious proposed continent-wide policy is another motive: a terrible fear of Russia's near-total power to control Europe's energy future. That is what led to the pledge by Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, to rebuild his continent's energy system, from light bulbs in Bulgarian homes to nuclear plants in Germany -- an enormously expensive set of measures. "Europe must lead the world in a new postindustrial revolution leading to the development of a low-carbon economy," Mr. Barroso said.
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