The 2020s and 2030s came with a lot of economic and social changes. The social changes were driven by the ideals of liberalism and the passion of more enlightened young people. The power of the internet also helped to give these social movements a lot of momentum. However, the economic changes were more subtle, but with similar impacts across the globe. One major change in the late 2020s was the shift from fossil fuel-based energy to cleaner forms of energy. It promised a lot of good but came with widespread economic impact.

After the 2033 Climate Change Summit, young people began to jump on the climate change agenda. Bits and pieces of Negasi’s speech were shared on social media and on almost every motivational or inspirational channel. The world had won the LGBTQ war (but not yet all the battles), so it was time for a new agenda. What better choice than the Climate Change Agenda?

After the top European nations got called out for their empty promises and weak policies, most nations did more than just commit a sum of money to the agenda. There were heavy energy taxes for fossil-fuel-driven companies and tax breaks for greener ones. There was also a plan to ensure 80% adoption of electric vehicles by 2037 and a similar cut for fossil fuel cars.

The effect of this rapid shift in energy stung most of the oil-dependent states like Iraq, Libya, Algeria and Nigeria. The real challenge began when the US, China, India and Japan joined the Climate Change Agenda. As the top oil-consuming nations in the world swapped fossil fuel-based energy for cleaner energy, demand for oil dropped sharply again, causing a fall in the price of Oil. OPEC tried to stabilize the price by enforcing an artificial scarcity and reducing production quotas but the black market served as a lucrative leakage that was too big to plug. The few nations that needed Oil were served adequately by the black market at a price that was well below OPEC’s price.

There was an even bigger problem in the early 2040s when the G20 decided to impose sanctions on countries that “endangered the future of the planet” by sticking to fossil fuels. This drove the demand for Oil down again, leaving most Oil-producing countries with overloaded tank farms and redundant refineries. That was the beginning of the Energy Clog.
By 2044, the world was heading to a complete ban on fossil fuel-based energy, but Russia remained against this decision, along with a host of OPEC nations. In Africa, Nigeria and Algeria led the movement against the ban with Delegates from both nations meeting several times to plan their response at the 2048 UN General Assembly. The world was heading towards another war, but this time it was going to be solely economic and diplomatic sanctions would be the only weapons – or so it seemed on paper.