Page 13 - Zenith 12호

INCHEON
13 FOREIGN LANGUAGE
HIGH SCHOOL

However, there is an international issue that is ruthlessly thwarting such efforts: the war in Ukraine. The Wall
Street Journal reports that despite promises to reduce carbon, including the Paris Climate Change Convention,
it is returning to the "age of coal." The reason is that the war has caused a severe drop in the supply of energy
production such as from natural gas and oil. Oil and gas prices have continued to soar in global markets
since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. When the U.S. and other Western countries banned oil imports for
Russian sanctions, Russia reduced its gas supply to Poland and Germany as a countermeasure. Some people
are constantly criticizing Russia for weaponizing energy. Germany, in particular, has been heavily damaged
because it has relied on Russia for more than half of its gas supply. The German government even announced
an emergency restart plan for coal power plants on the 19th of last month, showing a will to solve this problem.

In addition, Italy, France, Britain,
Netherlands, and Austria have announced
plans to increase their production or restart
coal-burning plants. This is caused by
especially high demand for natural gas
used as heating fuel before winter comes to
have energy already stored. The consumer
burden grows heavier because of the
negative impact on soaring gas prices.
The climate commitment of the world
responds to the crisis and also points out
that individuals can be a drain. Modern
climate activists are concerned that the increased coal usage of Europe and Asia will become an obstacle to the
implementation of climate change directives

Park Hye Eun (2-8)
parkhyeeun092@gmail.com