President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday Russia will only accept payments in rubles for gas deliveries to "unfriendly countries", which include all EU members, after Moscow was hit by unprecedented sanctions over Ukraine.
Thing is that the countries that depend more on Russian gas are the ones that have industry and manufacturing. For example, Germany will likely start becoming deindustrialized going forward because the cost of manufacturing will skyrocket.
Germany tried to push into renewable energy, and shut down most of their reactors. The reality was that renewable energy was not meeting the needs, and that’s why Germany asked Russia to build nord stream 2 in the first place. Building up any sort of alternative infrastructure will literally take years, and it’s not clear what the plan is in the meantime.
Furthermore, it’s not just gas and oil that Europe depends on. It’s stuff like precious metals, food, fertilizer, and so on.
I completely agree that a lot of the problems are indeed tied to capitalism. However, there isn’t a clear path towards getting rid of capitalism in Europe either. What’s even more worrisome, is that economic turmoil is starting to fan the flames of fascism. A number of European countries, such as Hungary and Poland, either have right wing parties in power or have growing right wing movements as we’re seeing in France and Germany. The recession that Europe is now pretty much locked into will only accelerate the rise of these movements.
In any case, this crisis with Russia has moved in 2 weeks more than 15 years of negotiations on climate change and renewable energy.
Certainly there are some raw material dependencies, but this can also provide others, apart from specific things there is not a crisis in this regard.
Russian gas is naturally exorbitantly priced, but making gas independent of electricity can well distribute these expenses, even in German industry gas is not the primary source of energy, it only has this impact by determining electricity prices for this idiot fix.
Now inventions are even coming out from under the rocks, such as obtaining fuel through CO2 and solar energy and similar things.
Apparently this kick in the ass has at least served a purpose, creating needs that were previously lost among lobbies, politicians and bureaucracy.
US lobbies are not so depending of Russians gas and goods as Europe. In the capitalist systems the progress is moved by the needs of lobbies, not by the needs of the citizen.
I think the good news is that there might really be a serious push to get off fossils, but I do think there is going to be a very rough period for the next few years and people need to prepare for that.
Of this I have no doubt, the sins of the last 100 years now present their bills.
This has become very clear in this crisis, that this fucking neo-liberal system, apart from always getting us into a war when the economic bubble that it produces by default is about to burst, from turning a deaf ear due to the selfish interests of the protests against contamination that already exist since the 70s of the last century.
I’m sure we spent some screwed up years thanks to this, but in view of the fact that the alternative would be much worse.
Just hope our children and grandchildren don’t pee on our graves in ‘thank you’ for the world we leave them.
The news of the current situation and the comments of these criminals in suits that we have in our governments are just cause vomiting.
Yeah completely agree with all that. Neoliberalism and capitalism encourage short term thinking and lead to absolutely insane decisions being made. One of the best things that could happen as a result of this crisis is that the neoliberal system in Europe might finally implode.
Thing is that the countries that depend more on Russian gas are the ones that have industry and manufacturing. For example, Germany will likely start becoming deindustrialized going forward because the cost of manufacturing will skyrocket.
Germany tried to push into renewable energy, and shut down most of their reactors. The reality was that renewable energy was not meeting the needs, and that’s why Germany asked Russia to build nord stream 2 in the first place. Building up any sort of alternative infrastructure will literally take years, and it’s not clear what the plan is in the meantime.
Furthermore, it’s not just gas and oil that Europe depends on. It’s stuff like precious metals, food, fertilizer, and so on.
I completely agree that a lot of the problems are indeed tied to capitalism. However, there isn’t a clear path towards getting rid of capitalism in Europe either. What’s even more worrisome, is that economic turmoil is starting to fan the flames of fascism. A number of European countries, such as Hungary and Poland, either have right wing parties in power or have growing right wing movements as we’re seeing in France and Germany. The recession that Europe is now pretty much locked into will only accelerate the rise of these movements.
In any case, this crisis with Russia has moved in 2 weeks more than 15 years of negotiations on climate change and renewable energy. Certainly there are some raw material dependencies, but this can also provide others, apart from specific things there is not a crisis in this regard. Russian gas is naturally exorbitantly priced, but making gas independent of electricity can well distribute these expenses, even in German industry gas is not the primary source of energy, it only has this impact by determining electricity prices for this idiot fix. Now inventions are even coming out from under the rocks, such as obtaining fuel through CO2 and solar energy and similar things. Apparently this kick in the ass has at least served a purpose, creating needs that were previously lost among lobbies, politicians and bureaucracy.
I’m just sad that it isn’t moving things faster here in the US where we’re lagging behind Europe.
US lobbies are not so depending of Russians gas and goods as Europe. In the capitalist systems the progress is moved by the needs of lobbies, not by the needs of the citizen.
I think the good news is that there might really be a serious push to get off fossils, but I do think there is going to be a very rough period for the next few years and people need to prepare for that.
Of this I have no doubt, the sins of the last 100 years now present their bills. This has become very clear in this crisis, that this fucking neo-liberal system, apart from always getting us into a war when the economic bubble that it produces by default is about to burst, from turning a deaf ear due to the selfish interests of the protests against contamination that already exist since the 70s of the last century. I’m sure we spent some screwed up years thanks to this, but in view of the fact that the alternative would be much worse. Just hope our children and grandchildren don’t pee on our graves in ‘thank you’ for the world we leave them. The news of the current situation and the comments of these criminals in suits that we have in our governments are just cause vomiting.
Yeah completely agree with all that. Neoliberalism and capitalism encourage short term thinking and lead to absolutely insane decisions being made. One of the best things that could happen as a result of this crisis is that the neoliberal system in Europe might finally implode.