The Global Energy Crisis: What's to be done?

Description

This episode of COUNTER•POWER steps back from the daily news cycle to examine the structural roots of the current global energy crisis. Host Zoe Williams speaks to Chris Hayes, the Chief Economist at Common Wealth, and Luke Cooper, LSE academic. Drawing parallels to the 1970s oil shock, their conversation explores how decades of policy decisions have left economies—particularly the UK—dangerously exposed to volatile energy markets. The discussion moves from global context to concrete proposals for reforming the UK energy sector. This episode was recorded 1 April 2026. In This Episode - How today's energy crisis compares to the oil shock of fifty years ago - What actually happens when energy markets set prices and who benefits when prices spike - Effects we’ve already seen, and risks that lie ahead - Why the current UK energy structure leaves consumers exposed to global shocks - Common Wealth's proposal for structural reform Common Wealth Website: https://www.common-wealth.org/ Youtube: @cmmonwealth Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/cmmonwealth.bsky.social Twitter/X: https://x.com/cmmonwealth TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cmmonwealth Featured Organisation: Global Justice Now Get your free ticket to Resisting Big Tech Empires on 25 April 2026! https://www.globaljustice.org.uk/news/free-international-conference-on-resisting-big-tech-to-take-place-in-london-this-april/ An international conference, ‘Resisting Big Tech Empires: The fight for the future’ will take place in London on the 25th of April 2026 at London South Bank University. Organised by UK-based NGO Global Justice Now in association with Balanced Economy Project, the conference promises a “day of talks and strategy on big tech’s impact on democracy, economies, war and the environment, and how we can challenge it”. The line-up for the event boasts speakers including multi-award-winning novelist and campaigner Cory Doctorow; founding member and executive director of IT for Change, Anita Gurumurthy; campaigner with Our World is Not for Sale, Sof