The war in Ukraine has particularly exacerbated the energy crisis in Europe, a crisis that began in the autumn of 2021, and which more than ever puts energy at the heart of the economic, political and environmental issues of our time. In the face of war, some countries are more exposed than others, notably Germany, which imports a large proportion of its energy resources from Russia.
Energy is a major issue for human activity. Indeed, energy was the driving force behind the Industrial Revolution, which in turn laid the foundations for society as we know it today. Today, there are three main types of energy: fossil (coal, oil and gas), nuclear and renewable (hydro, wind and solar power, biomass, etc.). Fossil fuels are responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions, and are therefore at the heart of the fight against climate change.
The main human activities consume a great deal of energy, in particular: transport (especially fossil fuels), industry and the residential/tertiary sector (electricity, heating). In France, in 2020, the residential sector accounted for the largest share of final energy consumption at 31%, followed by transport (29%), industry (19%) and the tertiary sector (17%).
36% of the primary energy used by Germany comes from Russian fossil resources, prompting Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, to declare "We are too dependent on Russian fossil fuels [...]"Indeed, with primary energy consumption based on 33.7% oil (of which 42% Russian), 26.6% natural gas (of which 55% Russian) and 15.8% coal (of which 50% Russian), the dependence of Germany and its economy on fossil fuels is very high (75%).
France is less dependent on fossil fuels (46% of its energy mix, including 6% from Russia). Despite a lower dependency than Germany (46% vs. 75%), some French political leaders are urging citizens to reduce their consumption of fossil fuels in response to economic and climate issues.
In France, the residential/tertiary sector consumes the largest share of this energy (almost 50%). To reduce the impact of this sector, the French government has introduced the Tertiary Decree, which applies to buildings over 1,000m² (83% of the French tertiary sector) and aims to progressively reduce energy consumption by (-40% in 2030, -50% in 2040 and -60% in 2050).