https://archive.md/RgTaW
"Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine has led to a reassertion of
national security concerns in every facet of Western countries’ policy. The
most obvious aspect is military security, with the United States and the
Europeans ramping up ammunition production and wrangling over tank deliveries.
But as far as Europe is concerned, the even more urgent priority is energy
security. As Russia’s natural gas supplies were cut off and prices surged to
record levels, European governments have spent more on subsidizing the energy
bills of their populations, stockpiling gas, and bailing out bankrupt energy
companies than they have either on their militaries or on supporting Ukraine.
The emergency energy programs were short-term expedients. The urgent question
now is which direction long-term energy security is to be found.
The crisis struck Europe in the midst of an accelerated energy transition away
from fossil fuels, one driven by climate concerns and a program of green
industrial policy. Since 2020, Europe has been doubling down on green energy
policy, with the Next Generation EU investment program, the Fit for 55 energy
transition framework, rising carbon emissions pricing, and a flood of national
programs. Britain recently celebrated a day without any use of coal. Spain
celebrated a day entirely on solar and wind. European utilities are driving
sectors such as offshore wind. Costs for clean energy were falling, in part due
to the parallel efforts being made by China in the cheap mass manufacture of
solar panels. The European car industry was setting a course for
electrification by the mid-2030s. European car producers and engineering
companies saw not risk but huge opportunities in China, which is the dominant
global force in electric vehicles."
Via
Future Crunch:
<
https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-heart-united-states-democracy-uruguay-nature-rights-ecuador/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
