A couple of decades ago the world made stringent targets on cutting carbon emissions. The World’s energy production and usage was basically calm and predictable. In the United States a new nuclear plant was being built while a few were in the planning stage of being retired. Coal plants were being scrapped and replaced by natural gas fired ones. The automotive industry was starting to design electric vehicles and reducing emissions on their gasoline engines. Fossil fuel companies were still saying they were not the problem because climate change didn’t exist but had started planning a new future for the companies.

            Now conditions have changed greatly. Now the Russian-Ukrainian War and the pandemic rebound has caused fossil fuel prices to skyrocket because of shortages. Coal prices have quadrupled because some plants here are not closing while others are being restarted. Instead of planning to reduce natural gas production, we are increasing the number of wells and production not for here but to turn into liquefied natural gas (LPG) to be shipped to other continents. Europe depended on Russia for natural gas and oil but now must find other sources for heat and power. That source appears to be the United States causing the rising prices for Americans. Germany was planning on closing all their nuclear plants but now should reconsider and postpone any retirements.

            In spite of the growing demands to cut emissions to save the world from runaway climate change, geo-political considerations and demands have made reduction of carbon emissions in the United States more difficult. Whether this is short term or decades long are unknown.