"Since Saturday, I've had the feeling that we're in a déjà vuThe reflection was made by the Director-General for Energy of the European Commission, Mechthild Wörsdörfer, during a speech at the Biomethane Connect Europe congress held this week in Madrid. Iran and its ramifications in the Persian Gulf – also causing the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz – have once again raised alarms regarding gas and oil supplies, directly affecting families and businesses. "We return to the situation in Iran, where the price of gas has climbed by 50% – the Dutch TTF is approaching 50 euros/MWh – while the price of Brent crude, the benchmark for Europe, has risen by more than 30%, reaching around 90 dollars (On Friday it already exceeded $90 at timesFour years ago, the cost skyrocketed even further: gas reached its all-time high – €345/MWh – while crude oil surpassed $120 a barrel. The difference is clear – although what might happen in the Middle East is still uncertain – and that's why some voices in the energy sector point out that the current scenario is not the same. They also recall that dependence on Russia was much greater. In fact, in the case of Spain, the ships that supplied gas to the country in 2025 and that had passed through the Strait of Hormuz because they came from the now conflict zone (specifically, from Qatar) accounted for only 1.7% of imported gas. But the situation is also different because Europe and its member states are in a "better position than when the war broke out in Ukraine," stated the European Director of Energy. The reason is the lessons learned then, which led to new energy policies. Therefore, despite constant monitoring by the European Commission, supply is currently "guaranteed," Wörsdörfer stated. Specifically, the European plan known as [name of plan] emerged from the crisis four years ago. Repower UE and whose central aim was to gradually phase out fossil fuels of Russian origin (oil and gas) and diversify sourcesFor example, in 2022, Russian natural gas imported into Europe via pipeline accounted for 40% of total fuel consumption, but by 2025 this figure had fallen to 6%, according to European Commission estimates. During this period, imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States have tripled, making it the second-largest supplier after Norway. Spain has also risen to second place in the LNG market. Across the continent, Algeria, the United Kingdom, and Azerbaijan have also joined the list of major LNG importers.

The US attack on Venezuela has once again put all eyes on the so-called black goldCrude oil is not only the most traded commodity in international markets, but its control, a priori, grants a clear position of global dominance. "Except for weaponry, no other product has greater geopolitical weight or has been used so extensively as an instrument of coercion, both for sanctions and embargoes," reflects Gonzalo Escribano, a researcher at the Elcano Royal Institute, on this commodity in an article published in 2024. Donald Truli's ambitions are a reflection of Donald Trump's.

Global energy consumption broke records in 2024 across all its forms: coal, oil, natural gas, and renewables all reached their highest points to date. But the only one that can be said with absolute certainty to decrease in the future is coal, which is projected to reach peak demand before 2030 and then begin to decline. In contrast, oil and natural gas will only stop growing if the world's governments fulfill their climate commitments—that is, the plans they have submitted to the UN to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. This is the conclusion of the International Energy Agency's annual report, the World Energy Outlook, which was released this Wednesday at the [event/conference/etc.]. UN climate summit in Brazil, COP30

Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin reaffirmed the strength of their alliance during their bilateral meeting in Beijing on Tuesday. Both leaders reached energy agreements and aimed to increase economic cooperation, but above all, they exchanged words of trust. Putin asserted that relations are at an "unprecedented level," and Xi declared his willingness to "strengthen exchanges." The signing of the memorandum for the construction of the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline marked a new strategic shift in relations between the two countries, which, in practice, represents a deepening of ties that had already been strengthened by Western sanctions on Moscow over the war in Ukraine.

Up to 8 billion tons of plastic waste pollute the planet, according to an estimate from a new scientific study published Monday in The LancetThis stratospheric figure is equivalent to 200 million large trucks (about 40 tons each), which are necessary to collect all the plastic waste accumulating in every corner of the planet, from the mountains to the bottom of the ocean. However, it would be an impossible feat because much of this waste They are in the form of microplastics and nanoplastics, very small particles that pollute the environment and that have reached our body through the food chain. The study of The Lancet, in fact, denounces that "plastics cause illness and death from childhood to old age." The study is published coinciding with the start of the summit that will bring together all UN governments in Geneva starting tomorrow to try to finally approve the Global Plastics Treaty. This binding agreement has been blocked in previous summits by plastic-producing countries (derived from petroleum), which refuse to include measures that affect production and demand that the treaty be limited to talking about waste management.