THE LEADERS in the fossil fuel industries work together in an effort to keep on drilling, selling and burning the fossil fuels and slow down the phase out of these lucrative sources of revenue. In fact, many government officials are in cahoots with the corporate leaders of the oil industry that continue the deal by giving cash payments as subsidies in exchange for drilling permits to help them explore for more oil on the side.
Meanwhile, the oil moguls and oligarchs (I call them âoili-garcsâ) donate money to the politicianâs reelection campaigns.
One of many examples emerged recently of this two-faced attitude when the United Kingdom government issued permits to oil corporations to explore for oil in the North Sea while claiming that they are striving to reduce CO2 and meeting the goal of COP28 while violating that goal at the same time. They claim they are racing horses in the race to fight climate change but in truth they are crawling turtles.
The growing volume of CO2, methane, and other industrial greenhouse gases are causing global warming. The higher temperature, the highest ever in history, is changing the entire planet.
The greatest tragedy besides the extinction of thousands of plants and animals and environmental disasters is the apathy and lack of alarm and real concern by some of the rich and powerful nations. Their resistance to the phase out of fossil fuels is pathetic and brings more disasters on the poor.
Paltry pay-outs of compensation is a form of climate justice but preventing the rise in global temperatures, which are highest in living memory in hundreds of thousands of years, is the most important of all.
Will COP28 achieve progress in convincing or pressuring the industrial nations to relent and go all out to replace fossil fuels with the alternative renewable sources of electricity?
That has been thrown into question since the COP28 is being hosted by Sultan Al Jaber of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who is chairman of the COP28 talks and is also the head of UAEâs powerful state oil company, ANDOC.
The UAEâs team has plans to use the climate conference to make all kinds of business deals involving funding the expansion of oil drilling and gas sales with at least 15 countries.
According to a report by the BBC, one proposal was a deal with China to develop gas exploration opportunities in Mozambique, Canada and Australia.
Another proposal is to advise the Columbian Minister that UAEâs state oil company is ready to help Columbia to âdevelop its fuel resources.â
How ironic and contradictory for possible dealings like these to be going on during the summit that aims to reduce gas and oil production for the head to be promoting them. It just confirms the collaboration of some governments and oil companies to thwart the goals and aims and hopes of so many for a solution to climate change and the prevention of greaser negative consequences for the planet. (preda.org)/PN
