The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has dislodged the everyday life of people around the world. While the worst of everything is happening to Ukrainian citizens, there has been a ripple effect worldwide. Because of Russian control on oil, the most felt effect to those outside of Ukraine has been a steep rise in gas prices. In a way, the rise in prices and the almost panic that we see because of it is highlighting the dependence not just on Russian oil, but a possible over-dependence on oil itself. There are hundreds of uses for petroleum products, from generating electricity to fuel for cars or gas for stoves, the world is built around relying on this energy source. Though it is a very useful product, there are downsides to its use. One of the large problems is the fact that it is not a renewable energy source, and with a global reliance on it, we are quite literally burning through it too quickly. The means that we go about extracting oil is harsh on the environment and depletes other natural resources and destroys habitats for thousands of animals.
On the home front, modern houses as a whole have not been built with proper insulation, so when gas is used to heat a home it has to work much harder than it should, both wasting energy and increasing expenses. According to the IEA if Europeans are able to reduce the heat in their homes by a single degree, it would help save 10% of the energy and cost associated with heating homes. This is part of their attempt to conserve energy and limit the control Russia has.
Those in the UK specifically are looking towards Prime Minister Boris Johnson in anticipation of his response. Debating if he will resort to fracking, and do a complete turnaround from working towards clean energy or if he will decide to accelerate the plans for energy independence already set in place. Some difficulty comes with this solution as well, the plans for renewable energy are strong but implementing them is projected to take decades for most projects. For projects like offshore wind turbines, there is expressed hope from companies that with extra funding and full support from the government they can cut the time down, but it is unclear if it would fully be within a reasonable timeframe. The same issue and others arise with nuclear power, including disposal problems and the potential cost of nuclear disasters.
This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA Law Group specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.
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