Raw materials are threats. This is especially true for oil and gas. This is clearly shown with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The situation is getting worse, oil prices are going through the roof. Whoever drives to a gas station these days feels it immediately: fuel prices above the two euro mark are no longer uncommon in many places.
Concerns remain as to what may come next if the war does not come to an end quickly and the sanctions take effect. In order to defuse the critical situation on the stock exchanges, Germany and other countries released part of their national oil reserves this week. But that alone will not be enough.
The oil and gas supply is more fragile than ever
The conflict is a turning point, also in terms of energy policy. Nothing will ever be the same again. The supply of oil and gas is more fragile than ever. This applies in particular to Germany, which has not only placed a large part of its gas supply in Russian hands. What is little known is that Russia also supplies by far the most oil. The loss of these imports cannot simply be replaced, it requires great effort. The consequences are foreseeable, gas and oil will become significantly more expensive in the long term. There can only be one answer to this: the accelerated phase-out of fossil energy supplies, as the federal government is now planning by 2030.
In the short term, however, other solutions are needed. If the state releases emergency reserves, that must not mean that consumers simply carry on as before. The release of oil reserves must be understood as a call to save. In addition to developing a climate-neutral energy supply, Germany also needs a strategy for using fossil fuels as efficiently as possible, i.e. sparingly, until they can be completely dispensed with. It would be sending the wrong signal completely, if we lowered mineral oil taxes and other levies in order to make petrol, diesel and other oil products cheaper.
It’s time for a speed limit
By far the most oil is consumed in road traffic, and this is where the greatest potential for savings lies. Anyone who is still railing against speed limits on German roads has not understood the signs. Speeding down the autobahn at 180 kilometers per hour no longer fits into the times. If you don’t drive faster than 120, you need significantly less fuel and can, at best, compensate for rising prices. E-car drivers are not exempt from this, after all, a significant part of the electricity is still generated with coal and gas.
If there is actually a risk of bottlenecks in supply, which is not (yet) the case, driving bans or similarly drastic measures must also be considered. Like 40 years ago during the oil crisis, when the Arab producing countries delivered less and wanted to put pressure on the West. He was supposed to give up his pro-Israel stance in the Middle East conflict and refused. The four car-free Sundays of 1973 had an effect, and oil consumption was temporarily reduced significantly.
Short-term savings potential also lies dormant in private households. Many heaters still run through winter and summer. If you live in your own home, you can control it better than renters. But they too can save energy by controlling radiators. Anyone who heats the living space to 19 degrees instead of 22 degrees consumes less. Much of this is known and is already being implemented, but the potential is far from exhausted.
Each individual can immediately and voluntarily make a contribution to saving energy – and thus set a sign of reason and solidarity. Laws and bans are not required for this, good intentions alone can achieve a lot.