Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has given a new boost to long-running efforts of Eastern Mediterranean states to tap into regional gas reserves amid concerns over energy security in Europe, experts have said. On Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid travelled to Athens to meet with his Greek and Cypriot counterparts, …
Read More »Putin’s Roubles-for-Gas Scheme could Split Europe
Russia’s latest gambit in the Ukraine conflict is to open a currency war with the West. Vladimir Putin’s declaration that Russia will only accept roubles as payment for natural gas bought by ‘unfriendly’ countries is the latest salvo in the long-running attack by Russia and China on the petrodollar system. …
Read More »EU Bets on Green Gases and Electricity to Break away from Russian Fossil Fuels
Faced with high energy prices and the urgent need to break away from Russian fossil fuels, the European Commission is doubling down on the roll-out of renewables and energy efficiency measures. The war in Ukraine has led to a monumental shift in EU climate policy. Within weeks of the invasion, …
Read More »Climate Change Worsens China’s Food Security Problem
A recent study carried out by researchers at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research found that increased global temperatures caused by the emission of greenhouse gases could lead to a two-fold increase in crop pests and disease in China by the end of the century. They warn that this …
Read More »How Dependent is Germany on Russian Gas?
Russia has warned it may shut off its main Nord Stream gas pipeline to Germany after Berlin halted approval of a second line across the Baltic Sea in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The comment, from Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, reflects escalating tensions that have already sent …
Read More »The Olympics’ Climate Problem
The 2022 Winter Olympic games are coming to an end this weekend in China. The games have been surrounded by huge amounts of controversy, from diplomatic boycotts over human rights concerns to complaints over a Taiwanese athlete wearing a uniform with China written on it. One large area of controversy …
Read More »Ukraine at the Crossroads of a European Energy Crisis
Ukraine, likely named after the Slavic word for “borderland,” has long been a crossroads for peoples, civilisations, trade — and military invasions. As Russia amasses its troops at the Russia-Ukraine border, energy is the latest resource to become weaponised. Russia supplies about 40 per cent of the European Union’s natural …
Read More »Nord Stream 2: Russia-Germany Gas Pipeline Becomes a Geopolitical Lever
The crisis surrounding Ukraine has been a harsh reminder to Europeans of just how dependent they are on Russian energy supplies. While the European Union weighs its options for a united and robust response to Russia if Vladimir Putin decides to invade Ukraine, the bloc is feeling a new sense …
Read More »The Era of Cheap Renewables Grinds to a Halt
The continual decline in production cost for wind, solar, and EV batteries was touted as the driver of their growing adoption and ultimate takeover of the global grid. Up until two years ago, there was no other scenario on the table—even though inflation was as much a reality then as …
Read More »Renewable Energy to Reduce Electricity Generation from Natural Gas
In the EIA’s January Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), it is forecasted that rising electricity generation from renewable energy resources such as solar and wind will reduce generation from fossil fuel-fired power plants over the next two years. The forecast share of generation for US non-hydropower renewable sources, including solar and …
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