Ireland’s future energy needs must be met by renewables and nuclear |
You never forget the taste of petrol. That repulsive tang as it hits your lips, when you’re sucking on a hose pipe to siphon some out of a car. A lot of kids from the 1970s have that memory, from when we were trying to get some fuel into a bottle to help someone else get their car home – or as far as the next filling station.
For anyone who remembers those times, the recent statement from the International Energy Agency that this latest energy crisis will be far bigger was alarming. It may become worse than the 1970s because this time gas is also cut. It could be bigger than the Russian crisis because it involves more oil.
Even if the war ends tomorrow, it is going to take months to get supplies back. If the Strait of Hormuz stays closed for much longer, then we are in a different world altogether.
Last Thursday, European energy ministers met to consider our collective response. Their first call was rightly about how we can reduce our fossil fuel use by increasing efficiency and behavioural measures, but public attention was much more on how much governments might give in emergency supports.
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