In a series of new statements attacking the global oil and gas industry last week, UN Secretary-General António Guterres once again raised the level of hyperbole, calling oil companies’ investments in carbon capture and storage projects (CCS) ” Suggestions for making the planet more efficient”. wreckers. “
of financial times, APs and other media outlets reported that Mr. Guterres also said, “Let’s face the facts.” The problem is not just fossil fuel emissions. It’s a fossil fuel. We are charging toward disaster with wide-eyed eyes, and too many are willing to stake everything on wishful thinking, unproven technology, and silver bullet solutions. In a subsequent comment, he also said, “It would be immoral to trade the future for 30 silver coins.” (Related: Jason Isaac: The Carbon Capture Scam)
The reference to fossil fuel emissions apparently targets Sultan Al Jaber, the United Arab Emirates’ COP28 presidency nominee, who is also head of state oil company Adnok. Al Jaber rejected attacks like Guterres’ on the future license to operate the industry itself, arguing instead that the focus should be on managing emissions. The UAE will host the 2023 COP28 conference in Dubai from 30 November to 12 December, a reality that has sparked concerns from the global climate change movement.
Guterres has always used exaggerated and bombastic rhetoric in his regular attacks on the oil and gas industry, and at some point in August 2022, the oil and gas industry will turn the world into a “highway to climate hell.” The explosion really comes as no surprise with the latest statement, as it claimed to have been responsible for causing the But what’s notable about this recent bombastic statement is the “energy transition,” which plans to replace energy-dense fuels such as oil, gas, and coal with less-energy-dense wind, solar, and lithium. The irony of a consistent supporter. -Ion Batteries blames anyone willing to rely on “wishful thinking, unproven technology, silver bullet solutions.”
Over the decades, at least since the early 1990s, we have witnessed the gradual change in battery technology that enables weather-dependent wind and solar to suddenly become 24/7 energy providers. has been dealt with one after the other alleging that the impending . But despite billions of dollars invested in researching and developing new technologies, the silver bullet is unproven and is just around the corner, having been around for more than 30 years. .
We have been consistently told by many legacy media outlets, always citing renewable energy advocates, that wind energy is now very cheap and perhaps even more competitive than coal and natural gas. I was. But just on Monday Big Wind Developer Orsted, Mats Nipper has called on the UK government to provide more subsidies to offshore wind projects struggling to get private funding. The plea comes despite the fact that the UK has already provided billions of pounds in subsidies and tax breaks to the wind industry, with Orsted itself enjoying record profits in 2022. . (Related: David Blackmon: Energy companies finally backtracking on absurd environmental targets)
Given that, perhaps the UK authorities should instead seek to impose a windfall profits tax on Big Wind. After all, if “it is immoral to trade the future for 30 silver coins”, what is the trade of the future for hundreds of billions of debt-financed subsidies?
But the point here is that wind energy is still just one kind of ‘unproven technology’. Mr. Guterres accused oil companies of pursuing him. So is the electric car, which Mr. Guterres and other global elites are pushing as a “silver bullet” to replace internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. But despite two decades of heavy subsidies, Tesla and other EVs are still expensive luxuries available only to the upper class in most countries, including the US and Europe.
Impulse Section Mr. Guterres clearly wants to step up his brute force attack on oil and gas to help with the energy transition, which he hopes will be useless and frankly stupid, but more and more no progress. World leaders should participate in serious discussions about the future of energy and energy security, but for that to happen, serious people need to participate.
It’s unfortunate that Mr. Guterres has so often shown himself unqualified to be such a person.
David Blackmon is an energy writer and consultant based in Texas. He spent his 40 years in the oil and gas business, specializing in public policy and communications.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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