Some of the world's largest economies are having to scramble to get electricity for their citizens because of the heat and Russia's war inUkraine.
Europe found itself in a feedback loop this week as record temperatures sent electricity demand soaring but also forced the closing of nuclear power plants due to the heat.
France plans to renationalize its electricity utility, the Electricite de France, to shore up its energy independence by refreshing its fleet of aging nuclear plants. Europe was kept guessing as to whether Russia would resume gas flows through a key line later this week. Germany pushed the European Union to greenlight cheap loans for new gas projects, which could prolong its reliance on the fossil fuel for decades.
The world's poor have been hardest hit by the cascading effects of the war and the coronaviruses. The International Energy Agency estimated that 25 million more people were without electricity in Africa because of the swine flu.
Extreme temperatures scorched swathes of the South and West as prospects of national climate legislation crumbled in the nation's capital. Global oil companies reported huge profits as the price of oil and gas went up.
The ability to slow down climate change has been undermined by the producers of the very fossil fuels that are responsible for climate change.
At a global conference aimed at reviving climate action in Berlin, the German foreign minister called climate change the " biggest security challenge" facing the world and urged countries to use Russia's war as an incentive to switch to renewable energy. Fossil energy is a sign of dependence and lack of freedom. Thirty five percent of Germany's energy needs are met by piped Russian gas.
The Secretary General of the UN put it bluntly. He said that we are still feeding our fossil fuel addiction.
There is a gloomy moment in global climate action.
Without climate legislation in Washington, the United States can't meet its national climate goal and can't exert much diplomatic pressure on China.
China produces the world's largest share of planet-warming gases at the moment, and it plays a pivotal role in the planet's climate future, but it also produces the largest share of the world's new green technology.
There is a big question mark over whether European Union lawmakers will use the Ukraine invasion to move away from fossil fuels or if they will just import gas from other countries.
There are high stakes. The EU requires the bloc to reduce its emissions by 55 percent by the year 2030. More coal plants are slated for closure than ever before, and there is no evidence that Europe is returning to coal for good. The title of a report published last week was "coal is not making a comeback."
Older homes and businesses are being encouraged to be renovated to make them more energy efficient. New internal combustion engine cars are not to be sold in the foreseeable future.
The current crisis is drawing attention to not doing more sooner. The NewClimate Institute, an organization in Cologne that promotes efforts to tackle climate change, said that there has been some progress, but it is not enough. We have missed a lot of opportunities.
Climate change is the biggest effect of the global energy crisis. Fossil fuel burning is the main cause of global warming, as greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere trap the sun's heat, raising global average temperatures and fueling extreme weather events.
Emerging economies are bucking the pressure to move away from fossil fuels because rich industrialized countries are unwilling to do so. They argue that the wealthier nations of the world are mostly to blame for the generations of greenhouse-gas emissions that are wrecking the climate.
The point was made loud and clear by the South African environment minister. She said that developed countries need to take the lead with ambitious action. Climate leadership is not what countries do in times of comfort and convenience, but what they do in times of challenge and controversy.
Poor countries have not yet received a promised $100 billion in yearly funding from rich countries. Many indebted countries are trying to recover from extreme weather disasters caused by climate change.
Russia invaded Ukraine at a time when energy prices were going up.
The price of oil and gas went up at the end of last year because of the decline in U.S. production.
Europe's electricity prices reached their highest levels in more than a decade when Russia began limiting supplies to Europe. Demand for gas in Europe rebounded after the economy picked up and wind-generated power dropped.
Russia cut gas flows to its European customers in April after Putin invaded Ukraine. Germany is worried that it will be next, as it waits to see if the Russian energy giant will resume flows through the gas line. On July 11th, it was shut down for 10 days of annual maintenance.
Europe is racing to fill their gas storage tanks in time to have enough energy to heat homes and industry in the winter. If Russia does not resume gas flows, the bloc will not be able to reach its 80 percent capacity goal by the beginning of November.
The head of the International Energy Agency said last week that the world has never seen an energy crisis of this magnitude.
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