"Europe was expecting to freeze when Russia invaded Ukraine. Instead, the war’s shock waves left some Asian nations in the dark.
After a year of fighting, Europe’s gas reserves are bulging and its leaders are moving forward with ambitious plans to green their economy. But it’s starkly different thousands of miles away, where poor Asian countries are scrounging for fuel after liquefied natural gas cargoes were rerouted to wealthy European markets.
Some nations have resorted to burning more coal. Others have endured electric blackouts due to abrupt fuel shortages.
One year into Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s brutal incursion into Ukraine, deep fault lines are being exposed in the global energy system — some of which were not foreseen by experts — while international climate efforts are facing new challenges. Emissions from fossil fuels worldwide approached an all-time high last year as countries scrambled for supplies of coal, gas and oil to power their economies."
Benjamin Storrow and Sara Schonhardt report for E&E News February 21, 2023.
