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The global energy crisis, which began in 2021 due to the extraordinary economic recovery after the pandemic and intensified after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has changed the conditions of energy management, paying more attention to energy efficiency. Natural gas prices have reached record levels and, consequently, so have electricity prices in some markets. Oil prices have reached their highest level since 2008. Higher energy prices have contributed to sharply increased inflation. Households are again becoming interested in buying coal as a source of heat. High energy and gas prices have pushed many families into poverty and forced some factories to cut production or even close. They have also slowed economic growth to the point where some countries are heading for a serious recession. Paradoxically, the negative effects of the energy crisis may accelerate the introduction of cleaner, sustainable, renewable energy such as wind and solar energy. The energy crisis is comparable to the oil crisis of the 1970s, when it contributed to significant advances in energy efficiency. The current crisis has highlighted the importance of investments in renewable energy resources and initiated the process of integrating regional markets, developing energy efficiency and promoting renewable energies. The aim of this article is to comprehensively explore the complex relationship between energy awareness, consumption patterns, and energy efficiency, with a focus on both individual consumers and industries, during the global energy crisis. This paper is based on a literature review, overarching policy documents, energy reports, and other secondary documents. The primary research method was the systematic literature review method, based on which the impact of the global energy crisis on energy efficiency was evaluated. This study emphasizes the diverse influences on energy awareness, ranging from economic factors to consumer preferences and environmental consciousness. The findings of the paper underscore the significant responsibility of industries in contributing to energy-saving efforts and the active role of consumers in the energy market. The responsibility of industries in contributing to energy efficiency is highlighted, with a call for a comprehensive approach that integrates energy-saving criteria into product development and corporate social responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to develop the theoretical model for the regime of anti-Russian sanctions against the climate R&D sector, as well as the related green finance sector. Achieving this purpose was carried out on the basis of using the system of the following methods. 1) A method of discursive analysis was applied to texts and statements that occur in scientific articles, analytical reviews and notes in electronic media and discussion pages on the Internet. 2) Meta-analysis was applied to both original works and to primary materials of an empirical nature containing statistical data, which are sometimes of a variable nature. 3) The methodology of stochastic factor analysis served as the basis for considering sanctions as factors that probabilistically determine various changes in Russian science and technology policies and science legislation. 4) The use of the foresight method was aimed at identifying options for the medium- and long-term development of Russia's participation in international cooperation in the field of climate R&D while under sanctions. According to the developed model, the regime of scientific sanctions against Russia is aimed at breaking cooperation with Russian participation at the level of programs and projects. The institutionalization of scientific ruptures has several aspects, such as the freezing of personal contacts, the suspension of funding, as well as the supply of equipment and the provision of services for its maintenance. The peculiarity of scientific sanctions against Russia lies in the unprecedented combination of the national and global scales of their consequences. The study concludes that, due to Russia's significant contribution to climate change, the consequences of scientific, economic and financial sanctions have a negative cumulative effect on the implementation of the global climate agenda. This means the emergence of problems in reducing greenhouse gas emissions due to the partial abandonment of previously formulated climate goals. The model proposed in this study reveals Russia's response to sanction challenges, which means that Russia continues to follow the trend in the development of climate science and improve the institution of green finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union's relative disregard for the economic, geopolitical and climatic concerns of its peripheral Eastern countries has contributed to making the war in Ukraine possible. Its consequences are now returning in the form of energy dependence and economic instability on the Union as a whole and the risk of economic crisis and deindustrialisation. This should prompt a re-assessment of the EU's strategy towards its eastern neighbours, particularly in the energy and climate policy field. This evaluation starts from the issue of control over cheap energy as a key material foundation of state and interstate power. On this basis, we analyse the struggle between Russia and the European core states over Ukraine in terms of the ability to extract an economic surplus through the unequal exchange of energy. The current escalation should be understood as an attempt by the Russian petrostate to preserve the economic basis of its regime, which is threatened by the prospect of a low-carbon transition in Europe. We conclude that a massive acceleration of the transition away from fossil fuels is the key to economic, geopolitical and climate stabilisation, highlighting possible policy instruments the EU could use to secure its production system and protect citizens' security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]