30 Mar 2022
The war in Ukraine and getting back to a Plan A
As the heartbreaking human impact of the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine becomes more and more apparent, we are taking a step back to look at issues surrounding this war.
In this first episode on the subject, we are beginning to wonder how we got here and how we can get back to a Plan A. In particular, we will investigate Germany's and the European Union's perceived dependence on Russian fossil fuels.
Is the dependence really that great and how did it come about? How does resolving the, seemingly suddenly revealed, security issues of such a dependence intersect with the long-planned European Green Deal?
Finally, Scott brings us back to the reality on the ground. As depressing as it is, and as even worse as it will inevitably get, he saw touching examples of selfless aid being given to Ukrainian refugees when he visited Warsaw, Poland. Specifically, we will learn why a Brit by the name of Saul is trying to get Ukrainian children into the woods…
A brief note about the state of this episode: Due to the topicality of the subject matter at hand, we somewhat rushed the recording and publishing of this episode. We are planning to either follow it up with a second, more polished, episode shortly, or to re-upload this one with a better presented fossil fuel segment and additional segments on other supply chain considerations.
[00:00] Preamble
[02:11] Introduction
[07:07] The situation right now in Warsaw, Poland
[09:48] The EU's / Germany's fossil fuel dependency on Russia
[19:18] How is the EU reacting?
[22:47] Could additional sanctions result in a violent response?
[25:50] To be continued; Poland's open door; and the power of Hip Hop
[31:19] Epilogue
[34:35] Credits
To donate to the Pines Forest School mentioned in this episode, go to www.pinesforestschool.pl/donate (https://www.pinesforestschool.pl/donate). To donate to the UN Refugee Agency, go to donate.unhcr.org (https://donate.unhcr.org).
References
Bauchmüller, Michael, Bastian Brinkmann, and Benedikt Müller-Arnold. n.d. ‘Energie aus Russland: Gas-Embargo mit Risiken und Nebenwirkungen’. Süddeutsche.de. Accessed 23 March 2022. https://www.sueddeutsche.de/wirtschaft/gas-embargo-russland-1.5550565 (https://www.sueddeutsche.de/wirtschaft/gas-embargo-russland-1.5550565).
BDEW. n.d. ‘Endenergieverbrauch nach Verbrauchergruppen - Zehnjahresvergleich’. Accessed 14 March 2022. https://www.bdew.de/service/daten-und-grafiken/endenergieverbrauch-nach-verbrauchergruppen-zehnjahresvergleich/ (https://www.bdew.de/service/daten-und-grafiken/endenergieverbrauch-nach-verbrauchergruppen-zehnjahresvergleich/).
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS REPowerEU: Joint European Action for More Affordable, Secure and Sustainable Energy. 2022. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2022%3A108%3AFIN (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2022%3A108%3AFIN).
Germany, Süddeutsche de GmbH, Munich. n.d. ‘Schritt für Schritt weg von Russlands Öl und Gas’. Süddeutsche.de. Accessed 23 March 2022. https://www.sueddeutsche.de/projekte/artikel/wissen/wie-unabhaengig-kann-die-eu-von-erdgas-aus-russland-werden-e111346/ (https://www.sueddeutsche.de/projekte/artikel/wissen/wie-unabhaengig-kann-die-eu-von-erdgas-aus-russland-werden-e111346/).
Oltermann, Philip. 2022....
