Putin Has Disrupted the World’s Priorities by J.E. Dean

As the horror of Russia’s war in Ukraine continues, I scanned the news about efforts to combat climate change. Just a few months ago, we were often told that the world faced an “existential threat” that could only be resolved by changing how we live. Vladimir Putin changed all that. When I awoke on Sunday morning, I was more concerned about nuclear war than fossil fuels.

It is likely that the evil Putin unleashed in Europe will be with us for some time. It could outlive Putin himself and continue long after the bombing stops. It is certain that things will get worse if the war escalates, as some see as inevitable. As they say, what does a cornered rat do?

A nuclear war, even if regionally contained, will disrupt the world’s priorities. Efforts to address climate change, reduce infant mortality, clean the oceans, eliminate racism, create wealth equity, and promote democracy, are likely to take a back seat to a new cold war. Monies that would have gone to priorities needed to help humans thrive and prosper instead  will be redirected to pay for a  cold war.

One of the most disturbing elements of Putin’s war was the attack on the Zaporizhzhia power plant 20 miles outside Kyiv. The world has 440 nuclear power plants that produce about 10 percent of the world’s energy. The cost of running those facilities will increase if they must be defended against reckless attacks from Putin and other terrorists. Fewer new nuclear power plants will be built, increasing reliance on fossil fuels.

Another aspect of the Ukraine War is that Russia’s oil is central to efforts to sanction Russia. Decisions on how to respond to Russia’s blatant aggression included considering what it means to energy supplies. Russia supplies 40 percent of Europe’s natural gas consumption. Germany is dependent on Russian oil. Before (thankfully) deciding to oppose Putin, Germany needed to figure out how to cope with disruption to its energy supply.

One can look at the Russian oil situation, including the issue of whether the U.S. should be buying Russian oil as a substitute for drilling more oil and gas wells here, and hope that the war might accelerate the move away from fossil fuels. That is possible, but more likely, the future will see more wars and conflicts focus on energy supplies. It may be easier to destroy windmills, dams, and transmission lines that transport energy than it is to just cut off oil. 

President Biden was criticized for allowing imports of Russian energy instead of expanding fracking, building the Keystone pipeline, and otherwise increasing domestic production. Yesterday, he announced a ban on imports of Russian oil.  He also has been criticized for attempting to block completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, an action that could lead to scarce U.S. energy supplies going to Europe. Biden is in a dilemma, caught between commitments to reduce the production of fossil fuels in the U.S. and contributing to rising energy prices. 

And then there is cyberwarfare. In the past two weeks, I have had at least five people advise me to change my passwords. Others advise me to keep a cache of money in case the Russians disrupt the U.S. or global financial system. Am I following this advice? I will not say.

When the world is focused on refugees, the risk of nuclear, chemical and bio-warfare, it spends less time designing and building “green buildings.”  Less research and development spending goes to reducing energy usage and reversing the damage already done to the climate. And most tragically, more people will conclude “the world is a mess,” and quit hoping that humankind can rise above its propensity to violence, greed, waste, racism, and hate to make the world a happier and sustainable place to live.

So, if you agree, we have another huge reason to be angry with Putin’s war. He has made the important decisions that we were in the process of making more difficult. He has disrupted our priorities just as they were starting to come into focus. That is tragic.

I am not ready to give up hope that a priority on addressing human needs other than recovering from the devastation of war can return. To get there, the world must find a way to end the Ukraine war and strengthen its resolve to prevent similar war crimes. That will not be easy.

The climate time-bomb is continuing to tick. Reversing climate change gets more difficult each year that action is deferred, or partially deferred. We must reassess our priorities, and fast. 

J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government, birds, and other subjects.