April 8, 2014

Authorities in Ukraine announced today that Ukrainian forces have wrenched control of a regional administration building in the eastern city of Kharkiv from pro-Russian separatists. They stated that government buildings in Luhansk and Donetsk will be freed shortly as well. The separatists took over the buildings in the three cities yesterday. In Donetsk, they proclaimed the city’s independence as well as their intention to hold a referendum on secession. The separatists asked Russia to be ready to deploy “peacekeeping troops” in the city. (Russia currently has thousands of Russian troops massed along its border with eastern Ukraine.)

Pro-Russian separatists seized government buildings in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Luhansk on April 7, igniting another crisis for the interim government in Kiev. (World Book map; map data © MapQuest.com, Inc.)

Experts on the crisis in Ukraine describe the current situation as a scenario similar to the one that played out in March when Russia annexed the peninsula of Crimea following a referendum of questionable legitimacy. In the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk characterized the events in the east as scripted in Russia: “An anti-Ukrainian plan is being put into operation … under which foreign troops will cross the border and seize the territory of the country,” Yatsenyuk told his Cabinet. “We will not allow this.”

Although the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated it has no intention of invading Ukraine, it claims to have the right to defend ethnic Russians there and warns Ukraine to stop any military preparations. In a statement issued by the Russian foreign ministry, Putin’s government noted that such preparations risk triggering a civil war.

Last week, Russia raised the price of the natural gas it supplies to Ukraine to $485 per 1,000 cubic meters, the second hike in two days. Ukraine owes Russia billions of dollars for natural gas. The deadline for Ukraine to settle the outstanding balance, in full, came and went yesterday. The interim government in Ukraine is under no illusion, knowing that Russia could do what it did in 2009: cut off Ukraine’s supply of gasoline and natural gas—a move that would cripple the country.

For additional information on the Ukrainian revolution, search Ukraine articles under Archived Stories.

Additional World Book article:

• Russia in the Post-Soviet World (a special report)

March 21, 2014

Leaders of the European Union (EU) and Ukraine signed an agreement today designed to give the Ukraine’s interim leadership under Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk economic and political support. European Union President Herman Van Rompuy stated that the accord “recognizes the aspirations of the people of Ukraine to live in a country governed by values, by democracy and the rule of law.” Calling it a “historic day,” Prime Minister Yatsenyuk declared, “We want to be a part of the big European family and this is the first tremendous step in order to achieve for Ukraine its ultimate goal, as a full-fledged member.” Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s abandonment of an EU trade agreement in November to move closer to Russia triggered massive protests that brought down his government and ultimately resulted in Russia’s seizure of Crimea.

Both Yatsenyuk and Rompuy noted that “the best way to contain Russia is to impose real economic leverage.” To that end, EU leaders have scheduled meetings to forge ways to reduce their energy dependence on Russia. Natural gas and oil from Russia accounted for at least 33 percent of total EU imports in 2010.

International affairs experts point out that natural gas and oil profits fuel Russia’s economy and, thus, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s power on the world stage. They describe today’s agreement as a show of support following the Crimean annexation earlier this week.

Yesterday, President Barack Obama of the United States announced further sanctions against prominent Russians, many of whom are close associates of President Putin. President Obama also revealed that he has signed an executive order that allows the United States “to impose sanctions on key sectors of the Russian economy.” He also urged Congress to pass an aid package to support the Ukraine’s tottering economy.

In Moscow, President Putin signed legislation into law formally absorbing Crimea into Russia. Russia sent troops into Crimea in late February, seizing control from Ukraine on the pretext that the region’s Russian-speaking majority needed protection from the next government in Kiev.

For additional information on the Ukrainian revolution, search Ukraine articles under Archived Stories.

Additional World Book article:

• Russia in the Post-Soviet World (a special report)

January 22, 2014

Two protesters were killed today, shot by police, in clashes between demonstrators and security forces in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. The fatalities are the first since antigovernment protests began there two months ago. Responding to news of the deaths, thousands of protesters are now pouring into Kiev’s Independence Square. Overhead hangs a cloud of acrid, black smoke from the burning of tires at blocked intersections.

Today’s violence was touched off by police moving in to dismantle a protest camp. Protesters, angered by the government’s apparent tightening of relations with Russia, have been camped out in Kiev since late November. New laws banning unauthorized tents in public areas and prescribing jail terms for anyone blockading public buildings went into effect today. The hasty passage of the laws last week by the Ukrainian parliament triggered renewed protests over the weekend, with young men hurling fireworks and Molotov cocktails at security forces guarding the parliament building. Riot police responded with stun grenades and rubber bullets. At least 200 people were injured in that melee.

Ukrainians protest in Kiev's Independence Square in 2004. Their demonstrations led to the Orange Revolution, an important step toward democracy. However, subsequent governments have failed to live up to the promise of the revolution. (AP/Wide World)

The unrest in Ukraine began on November 21 when President Viktor Yanukovych backed out of proposed political and free trade accords that would have moved the country closer to the European Union (EU). Experts on the situation in Ukraine note that to most Ukrainians, the West represents freedom, democracy, and prosperity. International affairs experts suggest that Yanukovych feared that moving Ukraine closer to the EU could trigger painful reprisals from Russia, Ukraine’s largest trading partner. During a natural gas price dispute in 2009, Russian President Vladimir Putin cut off the flow of natural gas to Ukraine, leaving the country without heat during a particularly cold January.

Russia has dominated Ukraine on and off  for more than 200 years. Because of its fertile soil, Ukraine was once described as Russia’s breadbasket.

Additional World Book articles:

• Kuchma, Leonid Danylovich
• Viktor Yushchenko
• Ukraine 2004 (a Back in Time article)
• Ukraine 2005 (a Back in Time article)

March 15, 2013

For the first time, scientists have extracted natural gas from methane-hydrate deposits, Japanese researchers announced this week. Methane hydrate is methane gas trapped in frozen water–the substance forms an icelike solid. When burning, methane hydrate looks like ice on fire. Deposits of methane hydrates are found in the Arctic, the Antarctic,and along offshore areas of continents.

A map of the known and inferred methane-hydrate deposits created by the United States Geological Survey. (USGS)

Scientists have been searching for a practical and economical method of extracting methane hydrate. Earth’s deposits of this compound form a larger resource of hydrocarbons than oil, natural gas, and coal combined.  Japan imports a huge amount of fuel for energy, so the ability to extract the methane off of Japan’s coast for energy would be an economic boon to the nation. This is particularly true now that Japan has shut down most of its nuclear power plants after the meltdown and leak of radioactive materials at Fukushima in 2011. Japan has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into research on methane hydrates. In the current successful experiment, scientists used depressurization to release the methane from its hydrate bond.

Environmentalists are concerned about the process of extracting methane in this fashion. Methane is about 20 times as powerful as carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.  If a sizable amount of methane gas was freed into the atmosphere during the extraction process, it could have a large and unpredictable effect on Earth’s climate. Geologists are also studying whether mining for methane hydrates could destabilize the seabed, potentially causing tsunamis.

Additional World Book Articles:

• Environment
• Exploring the Ocean Abyss (A Special Report)
• Methane: Another Greenhouse Troublemaker (A Special Report)

April 19, 2012

New rules that would require oil and natural gas companies to capture and contain gas emissions from drilling operations and pipelines were announced on April 18 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The rules would chiefly affect hydraulic fracturing operations–called “fracking” for short–which have become a widespread source of natural gas in the past decade. Fracking involves drilling deep wells and forcing a chemical-laced fluid through rocks to tease out natural gas trapped within. Although most of the natural gas is captured for sale, some natural gas and other emissions escape into the atmosphere, creating air pollution. The EPA rules would force operators to burn or capture all gas emissions by 2015. After 2015, operators must capture all emissions. The new rules also apply to pipelines that transport natural gas.

Emissions from fracking operations include volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), which contribute to smog and may have both short- and long-term health effects. VOC’s include such carcinogens (cancer-causing compounds) as benzene and hexane. Fracking also releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas that traps heat in Earth’s atmosphere, causing global warming. The EPA estimated that the rules will cut 95 percent of VOC emissions after 2015. The agency also predicted that the rules will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 28 million to 44 million tons (25.4 million to 40 million metric tons) per year–equivalent to the amount produced by generating electric power for a few million homes.

Ages ago, the remains of tiny marine organisms sank to the sea floors and were buried by sediments, left. The decaying matter became gas and oil trapped in porous rock under nonporous rock, center. Later, Earth's crust shifted, and dry land appeared over many deposits, right. (World Book diagram by George Suyeoka)

The American Petroleum Institute said that many fracking operations have already complied with the rules. The industry welcomed the delay in enforcing emission capture. The EPA predicted that the new rules will save the oil and gas industry $11 million to $19 million per year above the cost of new equipment because the captured gas can be sold for additional profit.

Addtional World Book articles:

• Natural gas liquids
• Environmental pollution 2011 (Back in Time article)
• Geology 2011 (Back in Time article)