BY FR. SHAY CULLEN
GIVEN THE fact that the world is ruled more by the power of greed than the love of people and the environment upon which we all depend for life, the power brokers, money moguls and billionaire tycoons of industry will never give up burning fossil fuels. Despite the demands of a majority of the people world-wide calling them to save the planet and all the species, including the human species, they refuse. That will never happen in my lifetime since the bosses of the giant oil corporations, with the help of their paid-for politicians and media hacks, block all change.
While the politicians and captains of industry mouth support for the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 29) that will convene from 11 to 22 November 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan, they have ignored the resolutions of COP28 that called for a phase out of fossil fuels. For them, they were just resolutions of desirable hopes and they are convinced it will never happen because they will not let it happen.
Here is why, in the United States 38 million people, that is 11.6% of the population, live at or below the poverty line and receive minimum welfare help while the government continues to dole out massive sums of taxpayers money to the biggest US corporations named among the Fortune 500, including fossil fuel suppliers earning a whopping $325 billion.
Besides massive earnings and being mega rich, they are still receiving more than $100 billion a year in handout subsidies. The congresspeople and senators most likely receive reelection donations from these corporations that they so generously gift with US$100 billion of taxpayers’ money while millions live and suffer below the poverty line. That is a hypocrisy that tastes like poison.
There are subsidy payments also made to EU-selected corporations to the tune of 55 billion Euro a year. If only the EU commission will stop that immoral handout program to the rich and invest that 55 billion Euro, it can use the interest to create jobs for the thousands of needy migrants wanting protection, support and work.
Most of the cash out payments in America are given to fossil fuel corporations to drill for more oil in the states where the powerful politicians that approve the subsidies have personal interests in the industry. It is conservatively estimated that from the US$100 billion hand-outs, the fossil fuel corporations get about US$20 billion. So why would they want to phase out their lucrative businesses just because the earth is getting too much sun? The US$20 billion is divided up among the fossil fuel producers (80 percent) to the natural gas and oil companies and 20 percent to the coal industry.
It is only when there are a million renewable energy plants in the world to replace the fossil fuel power plants will there be a chance to phase out fossil fuel.
At present, China leads with 1,142 coal-fired power plants. India has 282, US 214, Japan 91, Indonesia 91, Russia 68,Germany 58, Poland 43, Turkey 34, Ukraine 34 and Philippines 26. This is the challenge facing the world today. In the Philippines, the government and the energy corporations have to implement as many renewable plants and phase out the coal. It’s not only an economic and environmental urgency but a serious moral obligation to protect the poor and the disadvantaged people. What greater good can one do than to serve the poor and save the planet. (preda.org)/PN
