Background
Amidst wild claims that the world has only up to 2030s to prevent civilization’s collapse due to global warming and climate change, it is puzzling that Biden proposed the construction of an oil pipeline from the Middle East to Europe to cement continued use of fossil fuel, and accompanying CO2 emissions many decades into the future. Again, Biden did not propose harnessing the abundant solar energy in the Middle East’s deserts and transferring it to Europe, if the promise of green solar energy is to be taken seriously. Is there a contradiction and is it deliberate, yes, yes? There is an apparent-concerted effort to deny developing countries the benefit of fossil fuel and related resources through climate change politics, and COP 28 reflects this line of thinking.
Fossil Fuel for the Rich, and Measly Adaptation Handouts for the Poor
COP 28 is occurring in a very interesting region, which is a desert and also rich in oil. Various models produced by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which is only international in name but not representation, suggest that there is a need to limit global warming to under 1.5oC above the pre-industrial level. Assuming that Carbon Dioxide is the major cause of man-made global warming and that global warming poses any threat to the current civilization, which has greatly benefited developed countries, the logical ways of reducing carbon dioxide would be either stopping fossil fuel use (and hence carbon emission) or expanding forest cover to increase the earth’s capacity for sequestering and storing CO2. Surprisingly, these two options have not been proposed or discussed exhaustively, including in COP 28 and previous meetings. No leader has proposed greening all or parts of the Middle East’s deserts, which would significantly reduce atmospheric CO2. Similarly, none has proposed stopping or reducing oil production, and only efforts to curtail those that have not enjoyed the benefits of coal and oil-driven industrialization from using these crucial resources have been proposed.
Politicians including Kenya’s President William Ruto (here) stated how Africa needs to pursue green industrialization to save the planet from climate catastrophe. His statement wrongfully assumes that if Africa (which contributes only 3% of global carbon emissions) stopped emitting, it would avert climate catastrophe, which makes no sense. It is logical that if the US and China, which collectively contribute nearly half of global CO2 emissions, do not reduce, no significant decrease in emissions and the threat of climate change can occur. However, considering that Biden awarded more contracts for oil drilling on federal lands (here), Germany returned to coal power plants (here) and the UK approved more oil and gas drilling in the North Sea (here), and since these countries are not suicidal, the climate change is not about CO2 or climate. It is a political control scheme. The above countries would have a lot to lose if the ‘climate catastrophe’ would result from increased carbon emissions.
William Ruto stated the world had a window of up to 2030 to reverse climate change, or a civilizational catastrophe would ensue. Ruto, who likes flying, like many leaders who have flown to the UAE for the COP 28 summit with airliner-sized private jet, seems to believe that Fossil fuels can only cause global warming if used to industrialize and create opportunities for the poor. Meanwhile, Rumors in social media revealed that Ruto may have received a luxury Rolls Royce Phantom vehicle imported for him. The fuel-guzzling mammoth with close to 7000 cc engine capacity, which can cause serious CO2 emissions, does not seem to bother Ruto. Similarly, Onlookers have been baffled by Joe Biden’s long convoy of high-engine capacity vehicles that contribute significantly to CO2 emissions, despite his claimed desire to reduce global warming. In South Africa, Ruto gave a lengthy speech on how Africa needed to build carbon-free industrialization. I have not heard anywhere how to wind power and solar energy can smelt steel and other metals or create industries.
Virtual Signaling, Colonial Show
COP 28 is turning out to be an interesting show, with participants from the developed world giving pledges they know will not work and representatives of poor countries finding an escape and an excuse for not developing their countries, to maintain the current global imbalance. Interesting declarations made in this meeting included Emanuel Macron calling on the G7 to drop coal by the year 2030. Yet, he knows that these countries will not stop using coal, as none of them is willing to stop developing and working with steel. Macron lied. While making such a grand statement, he was probably thinking of how France needed more steel for tanks, guns, shells, and ships to regain colonial influence in Africa. Also, Macron surely did not consult the US, which needs even more steel to make and repair aircraft carriers, big guns, and a smaller amount for civilian industries. While France may at least drop coal as a source of energy as it operates on nuclear, Germany will not and has already revived coal plants for generating electricity. In late 2022, Bloomberg and NPR (here) reported that Germany was reverting to coal-fired power plants due to an energy crisis, the basis of which was the US blowing up Nord Stream pipelines, a move that Joe Biden had committed to do prior and Victoria Nuland approved. The move would directly contribute to global warming and cause Germany to even use coal, but Africa should aspire to use solar and wind. Notable Global warming would occur due to the release of natural gas, which contains methane, but the media and climate activists looked the other way. An article authored by IPCC (here) reveals that Methane is more potent in causing global warming than CO2, and has contributed to 0.5oC, despite far less amount of it being emitted. Therefore, a large amount of Methane released after the Nord Stream bombing event caused global warming equivalent to CO2 emitted by Denmark in one year.
Going Forward
Thus, the US and rich Western countries and their ‘environmental activists’ never cared about global warming or climate change, and readily ignored the Nord Stream bombing. Global warming is allowed for some and not for others. Rich countries will offer some money to poor countries to essentially stop developing, and the former can emit all the CO2 they wish. Some African leaders have been recruited to start begging for ‘climate adaptation’ resources and stop industrializing. Meanwhile, fossil fuel energy will continue being drilled and utilized by rich countries, while increasing atmospheric CO2 and methane will continue being used to scare developing countries. Macron, who at COP 28 proposed getting the G7 to drop coal use by 2030, has promised to outlaw oil and gas use by 2040. This statement is meant to coerce developing countries to make similar commitments, while France and G7 will not observe this commitment. Western countries do not keep their word, for instance, the US signed the Parris Climate Accord and required all other countries to abide by it, but cleverly abandoned it and blamed Trump. From this precedence and others, developed countries will renege or abandon their climate commitments.
Simon Chege Ndiritu, is a political observer and research analyst from Africa, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”
