The impact of the energy crisis on the food market, the energy transition, and energy poverty after the outbreak of the Russia–Ukraine war: a systematic literature review

The 2022 Russia–Ukraine war has created a new and intense energy crisis. This crisis, which followed the COVID-19 pandemic, continues to have a major impact on the economy, society, and the environment. It brought transformative change to the energy system amid crises, challenges, uncertainty, and opportunities. EU Member States were most affected because of their high dependence on Russian fossil fuels. The complexity of the energy crisis, its impacts, and the emerging energy landscape create the need for a systematic literature review that serves two objectives: capturing the existing knowledge on the impact of the energy crisis after the start of the Russia–Ukraine war and identifying future research avenues that will adequately and effectively illuminate aspects of the energy crisis. More specifically, this review compiles knowledge across three areas: the food market sector, the energy transition sector, and, lastly, the energy poverty sector. The results of this systematic review demonstrate that the energy crisis triggered by the Russia–Ukraine war has reshaped these sectors in different ways. While the crisis provided the necessary impetus for a faster transition to renewables, it also triggered significant inflationary pressure in the global food supply chain and intensified energy vulnerability for low-income populations.