After decades of struggling to find climate-friendly alternatives to coal, Europe is forced to return to it after Russia cut its gas exports in retaliation for Europe’s sanctions against it. In a matter of weeks, years of work have been undone. Although this is supposedly a temporary measure, no one can say when gas supplies will be restored. And why has all this happened? Because of hate. The technology is there, the resources are there, but the hostility and enmity are also there, and when these are present, they always win. The only thing we need to fix in order to restore prosperity is our aversion to each other.
Now, because we cannot overcome our hatred, Russia is losing money because it stopped selling gas to Europe. Europe, too, is losing money because it cannot buy cheap gas, and will pollute the air because it will reopen coal-fired plants.
Likewise, there is an abundance of semiconductors, but some companies bought stocks of them in advance, and the rest of the world is fighting for the scraps. As a result, prices are rising the world over, production and shipments are heavily delayed, and countries that want to protect themselves from other country’s selfishness are forced to start manufacturing what they need for themselves, if they can.
Globalization has been good for us. It provided abundant cheap supplies of things we could not produce ourselves, or at least not at an affordable price. Now, for no other reason than hate, humanity is being set back decades, if not centuries, as some of the most technologically advanced countries have to choose between electricity from coal or no electricity at all.
Even worse, that same hate is causing massive shortages of wheat. What if the climate in a particular country is unsuitable for growing wheat? Will people in that country be forced to turn to cornbread or potatoes as a source of carbohydrates? Will they have to switch to a protein based diet and live on meat?
And what if this crisis spreads to the transportation sector? The semiconductor crisis has already affected manufacturing. What if other essential elements are delayed, as well? Would we return to horse and carriage? Can we even do that?
And what about medicine? How can humanity provide adequate medicine without instruments that are manufactured all over the world, and without effective shipment?
If we are wise, we will use the reopening of coal-fired plants as the canary in the mine, if you will. It is a warning sign that we have no choice but to start cultivating truly positive relationships if we want human civilization to survive.
We can make the coming years peaceful and prosperous. But for this to happen, we have to turn our focus from cleaning the air, the water, and the ground, to cleaning our hearts from hatred of each other. Hatred pollutes and kills more than all other pollutants combined.
Wikimedia Commons image by Adrem68