Matt Chat — Confessions of an addicted consumer — update 4
In my last post I reflected on how the wider context of COVID and the anxiety and disruption it was causing, was leaving many people feeling exhausted, worn out and depressed. Requiring an added layer of resilience for sustainability professionals already fighting a daily battle to convince others about the distinct risks of climate change too.
Since then — the world has once again been flipped on its head with horrific scenes being played out in Ukraine after Russia went into a premeditated war with them, causing catastrophic losses of life and destruction on an inordinate scale. This has raised the threat of nuclear war to its highest state since the Cold War; and markets are in freefall globally. Sustainability and the focus thereof, seems almost inconsequential when you see the freedoms of so many being brutally taken away and yet as the UN IPCC report stated just the other day — many of the effects of climate change are irreversible -we need to act now, but does anyone have the energy (McGrath, 2022)?
The situation is bleak, and I won’t profess to fully understand the geopolitical intricacies that are at play — but from a sustainability perspective the disruption this Russian/Ukrainian conflict is causing on global energy markets has highlighted the over reliance the west, and Europe in particular, has had on cheap gas from Russia and our inherent vulnerabilities as a result of this. So one does wonder whether this could be the jolt we needed to move away from imported fossil fuel-based energies and invest in sustainable energy supplies, with a renewed focus on renewable energies.
In the short term this doesn’t appear to be possible — Germany has committed to extend the life of its coal fired power plants to bolster its domestic energy provision (King, 2022). While with Russia being a major exporter of steel, nickel and electricity — all key commodities needed for renewable energy production and a just energy transition — it looks set for this to be a very pricey alternative in the short term (Friedman, 2022).
That said, the glimmer of hope that might extend out of this conflict is that western countries will wake up to their energy vulnerabilities and obligations to provide sustainable power and seek to ensure they domesticise the production of energy; with wind farms, hydroelectric and solar being key opportunities to grasp. In 2021 the UK sourced almost 50% of its energy from renewable sources, and globally in 2021 wind and solar capacity increased by 45%; so the concept of more being achieved isn’t insurmountable. The challenge is more whether Johnson’s government and the governments of France and Germany in particular, choose to prioritise investment in green energy over tried and tested dirty power provision in the form of coal and oil.
In any case, for now we need to wait and pray for the safe resolution to this awful conflict and peace and freedom for all Ukrainians. Until then, if like me you’re feeling overwhelmed and jaded by this latest existential crisis, remember that this will pass and by continuing our pursuit of a more sustainable, equitable future in the various roles we play, whatever that might be — we may not be solving world peace but we will be laying foundations for greater change and better decision making once the world settles down and that for now, gives me some hope.
Here’s to a peaceful, calmer, more equitable future ahead.
Matt
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