NO ONE knows how long this horrific and inhuman war waged by Russia against Ukraine will last, and how it will end. But it is already reshaping the global order of energy. And in this age of climate change, it is bound to shape the future as we know it. Energy prices have already surged across the world, and governments that were discussing how to move away from fossil fuels are now urging oil and gas producers to increase supply. Energy poverty, a term well understood in emerging countries, where millions live without access to basic electricity, has now found place in the lexicon of rich nations. What will governments do to “cool” the energy markets, and what will this mean in a world a that has already run out of carbon space and time in terms of climate change?
RUSSIA, A MAJOR OIL AND GAS PRODUCER
Share of top 10 crude oil producers in 2019 (in %)
Share of top 10 natural gas producers in 2019 (in %)
The war has made the energy crisis more acute. Russia is a major producer of oil and gas and the US and its allies have put severe sanctions on the country. “Six of the top 10 shipping companies in the world, controlling over 60 per cent of global capacity, have suspended Russian bookings,” Kaushik Deb, senior research scholar at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, told Down To Earth (DTE) in the second week of March, soon after the US banned import of Russian fuel. This is a disruption of the 5-6 million barrels that Russia exports by the sea every day; about half of this is crude oil, Deb said. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that 3 million barrels of Russian crude oil and oil products may not find their way to markets per day, beginning April.
Esta historia es de la edición April 01, 2022 de Down To Earth.
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Esta historia es de la edición April 01, 2022 de Down To Earth.
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A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara
