Based on a review of scholarly literature and statements of IAEA and Ukrainian institutions, we try to attempt to analyze the current problems in nuclear energy of Ukraine during the war based on the example of the seized Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which demonstrates the impact of this situation over global nuclear safety. Our study also outlines some solutions to this ongoing crisis and highlights that there is an urgent need for a new strategic vision at the global level with regard to nuclear safety and environmental protection. The “trial and error” approach is not the desired practice of ensuring nuclear safety in the world and therefore the world must today apply the lessons learned during the war in Ukraine to better protect people and the environment. The current situation in the world is complex and requires reasonable considerations, taking into account social, economic, environmental and geopolitical aspects. The introduction of minimum International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safety standards that are illegally enforceable, the revision of the provisions of the IAEA statute and its amendment by providing the organization with the function of maintaining the harmonization of nuclear requirements, the need to improve the existing IAEA standards in terms of taking measures during the construction of nuclear power plants to protect them from missile attacks, as well as during the operation of NPPs are all analyzed as necessary steps required to solve the issues of improving nuclear safety in Ukraine, Europe, and the world. The cooperation of Ukraine with such states as the USA, Japan, South Korea, France, and the United Kingdom, and the creation of the coalition could help to put pressure on United Nations and IAEA at the international level to withdraw all troops and ammunition supplies from Zaporizhzhia NPP.

The third decade of the 21st century clearly reminded us of the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of the environment in which economies, organizations and individuals operate, bringing at least two serious economic crises. On the one hand, the COVID-19 pandemic brought an unprecedented shock of both demand and supply nature, thus materializing the risks associated with the system of international economic connections constructed over many decades. On the other hand, we are facing a global economic crisis caused by Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine. The aim of the article is to capture the impact of the above-mentioned phenomena on the economic situation in Poland from the internal and international perspective, with the global perspective also taken into account. As part of the internal perspective, the focus was on inflationary processes in the short and long term, taking into account their course and possible countermeasures. As part of the international perspective, attention was drawn to one of the most frequently discussed issues, which is making forecasts and assessments regarding the effectiveness and efficiency of sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus. The second problem within this perspective, which affects both many European economies and developed economies around the world in a tanginble way, is Europe's dependence on Russia for access to energy resources and on China for production capacity. The third issue from the international perspective are the problems related to the reconstruction of the Ukrainian economy after the war and the development prospects of this economy, paying particular attention to the role that Polish enterprises can play in these processes. Finally, within the global perspective, attention was paid to two issues, namely the so-called economy of moderation and the future of globalization. It was assumed that moderation can be considered a synonym of global rationality and a guarantee of the long-term survival of civilization, and therefore also a special case of the so-called common good. With regard to globalization, understood as an advanced form of internationalization, the focus was on the opportunities and threats for the region of Central and Eastern Europe resulting from significant changes in international value chains in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

The content of the article is a historical analysis of the presence, understanding and validity of the Iron Curtain metaphor in the field of social sciences. After 1989, it might seem that the fall of the Iron Curtain had lost its relevance and the metaphor had become dead. It’s recall by Władimir Załęski in connection with the war in Ukraine prompted a re-analysis of the sense, meaning and emotions associated with it. The question of how this commonly known metaphor influenced (and influences) our understanding of reality and to what extent it constitutes a reliable analytical category is subject to reflection.

On 19 March 2019 the European Union (EU) adopted the Regulation establishing a framework for the screening of foreign direct investments into the EU (the “Regulation”). Four years later, the geopolitical situation changed completely as a result of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Since February 2022 the EU has successively expanded its sanctions imposed against Russia. In parallel – on 6 April 2022 – the European Commission published the Guidance to the Member States concerning foreign direct investment from Russia and Belarus in view of the military aggression against Ukraine and the restrictive measures laid down in recent Council Regulations on sanctions.
The aim of the article is to draw attention to selected aspects of the Regulation which may be relevant in face of the threats to the European and national security and public order posed by the actions of the regimes of Russia and Belarus, following the invasion of Ukraine. In the perspective of the ongoing war in Ukraine, the issues discussed in this article may be points that are worth considering when amending the Regulation in view of the announced revision of the Regulation in Autumn 2023.

Global emissions have already reached a monstrous amount of 37 Gt of CO2 per year, and the content of this gas in the atmosphere, which is 50% higher than in pre-industrial times, and other greenhouse gases is changing the climate, causing enormous risks for humanity. A complete decarbonization of the economy is essential. Currently, China, the US and the European Union as a whole emit the most, but the US and EU countries bear the greatest responsibility for the carbon dioxide already accumulated in the atmosphere. They are high GDP countries, so they have a moral obligation to help poorer countries decarbonize their economies. Most urgent is the decarbonization of the energy sector, which has a huge, if not the largest, share of emissions. In addition, decarbonizing other sectors will significantly increase demand for electricity. Fortunately, methods to decarbonize this sector are technically mature – only RES and nuclear power should remain. The only problems are time and money. Decarbonization of transportation is proceeding faster than expected, through electromobility and the somewhat slower deployment of hydrogen fuel cells. More difficult is the decarbonization of industry, as the technologies are immature, although research in this direction has intensified greatly recently. Decarbonization of heating and cooling is a challenge not because there is a lack of methods to solve the problem, but because the scale of the undertaking is huge, especially since buildings have a long life span, and it is not always easy to change the heating in existing buildings. Despite the tremendous acceleration, it appears that the complete decarbonization of the economy by 2050, which is recommended by the IPCC to keep average temperature increases within a reasonably safe range, may not succeed. It will therefore be necessary to remove a significant amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which can be done either by capturing the gas and storing it, or by natural forces. One possibility is to accelerate the weathering of magmatic rocks, which would require grinding huge amounts of basalt and distributing it in soil over large areas. Action could also be taken to make forests store more CO2. The war in Ukraine may reduce the rate of decarbonization on a very short time scale, but it is expected to accelerate the process. Politicians have realized how dangerous dependence on fossil fuels, especially their imports, is. In addition, energy prices, which are of such great concern to everyone now, would be much lower if the power industry was much more RES-based, as wind and photovoltaic currently provide the cheapest energy. There is no return to coal-based energy, and Polish politicians making such demands are acting against the Polish raison d'etat.