Yes and no. Because of the pandemic, and now the invasion, we have realized the world has too many unnecessary imports which could be produced locally.
They were cheaper because all this contamination is called "externalities", which is a code word for "someone else's problem"; and because short term profit is king and responsibilities be damned. Also dumping, tariffs, dominant countries imposing free trade treaties on weaker countries, and so on.
They still have a huge cost. There are of course things that need to be transported these distances, and with or without oil these need to be moved, but also a considerable percent is cheap plastic stuff from China.
They were cheaper because all this contamination is called "externalities", which is a code word for "someone else's problem"; and because short term profit is king and responsibilities be damned. Also dumping, tariffs, dominant countries imposing free trade treaties on weaker countries, and so on.
They still have a huge cost. There are of course things that need to be transported these distances, and with or without oil these need to be moved, but also a considerable percent is cheap plastic stuff from China.