Understandably, companies and nations that make a lot of money producing and selling fossil fuels are not going to “go down without a fight.” They’ll invent any reasons they can for things staying “the way they’ve always been” – even though the outcome is proving disastrous for Earth. In a way, getting people to change habits – when virtually all of us grew up driving gas-powered cars, not even wondering what other options existed – is difficult.
Fortunately, the transition is happening. I’ve driven an e-car for 11 years, and found it has more pep and cost a lot less than any gas car I’ve driven. My home uses no fossil fuels whatever and provides a healthier environment for a lot less money. Comments afterwards.
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‘Massive disinformation campaign’ is
slowing global transition to green energy
UN says a global ‘backlash’ against climate action
is being stoked by fossil fuel companies
Fiona Harvey Environment editor
The Guardian
8 Aug 2024
Fossil fuel companies are running “a massive mis- and disinformation campaign” so that countries will slow down the adoption of renewable energy and the speed with which they “transition away” from a carbon-intensive economy, the UN has said.
Selwin Hart, the assistant secretary general of the UN, said that talk of a global “backlash” against climate action was being stoked by the fossil fuel industry, in an effort to persuade world leaders to delay emissions-cutting policies. The perception among many political observers of a rejection of climate policies was a result of this campaign, rather than reflecting the reality of what people think, he added. He also said …
“There is this prevailing narrative – and a lot
of it is being pushed by the fossil fuel industry
and their enablers – that climate action is too
difficult, it’s too expensive. It is absolutely
critical that leaders, and all of us, push back
and explain to people the value of climate action,
but also the consequences of climate inaction.”
He contrasted the perception of a backlash with the findings of the biggest poll ever conducted on the climate, which found clear majorities of people around the world supporting measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The survey found 72% of people wanted a “quick transition” away from fossil fuels, including majorities in the countries that produce the most coal, oil and gas. Green parties and plans may have suffered reverses in some parts of the world, he said, but in others they have gained seats, and seen policies that would once have been considered radical enter the mainstream.
Governments must take note, said Hart, who acts as special adviser on climate to the UN secretary general, António Guterres. “This should alert political leaders – those that are ambitious are not only on the right side of history, they’re on the side of their people as well. He said …
“Climate appears to be dropping down the
list of priorities of leaders. But we really need
leaders now to deliver maximum ambition.
And we need maximum cooperation. Unfortu-
nately, we are not seeing that at the moment.”
The Paris agreement, reached at Cop21 in 2015, needs to be enhanced by a requirement for new national plans on emissions reduction, the UN says.
He warned that the consequences of inaction were being felt in rich countries as well as poor. In the US, many thousands of people are finding it increasingly impossible to insure their homes, as extreme weather worsens. He said …
“This is directly due to the climate crisis,
and directly due to the use of fossil fuels.
Ordinary people are having to pay the price
of a climate crisis while the fossil fuel industry
continues to reap excess profits and still
receives massive government subsidies.”
Yet the world has never been better equipped to tackle climate breakdown, Hart added. He said…
“Renewables are the cheapest they’ve ever been.
The pace of the energy transition is accelerating.”
Governments should also take care to ensure that their climate policies did not place unfair burdens on those on low incomes, as poorly designed measures could hurt the poor, according to Hart. He said …
“Each country will really need to ensure its
transition is well planned to minimise the
impact on people and vulnerable populations,
because a lot of the so-called pushback comes
when there’s a perception that the costs on poor
and vulnerable persons are being disproportionately felt.”
For that reason, the UN is calling for new national plans on the emissions reductions required under the 2015 Paris agreement, in which governments must set out clearly not just their targets but how they will be achieved through policy, and what the probable impacts are.
The new national plans, called nationally determined contributions (NDCs), should be “as consultative as possible so that whole segments of society – young people, women, children, workers – will be able to provide their perspective on how the transition should be planned and well-managed, and how it will be financed”, he said.
“Despite everything we see [in the
form of extreme weather], we’re
still not seeing the level of ambition or
action that the world desperately needs.”
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The report tells me that that because many political leaders and governments are heavily influenced by contributions from the fossil fuel industry, the solution to our climate problem, and survival, is up to each of us. Adding D’s comments …
“It is extremely painful to witness organizations, countries or companies pushing an agenda that is unsafe and not forward-looking as they are protecting ‘what is’ versus ‘what can be.’ We see a world in which most people have access to clean energy and healthy food.
“We do wonder why so many people fear this change. What we do know is: the change will continue to happen as more and more people buy into the need for clean energy.
“We see the backlash as fear-based … and also lacking vison, again, of what can be. Our recommendation is to learn how to see falsehoods built on fear, rather than visions of what your collective future can be.”
I recall hearing a statement about power and control attributed to British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher: “When you have them by the light switch you have them!” Well, I have a somewhat rebellious side to my personality, and prefer to be free of the companies who leech money from me every month. I now have a more reliable and far less expensive home and car – with absolutely no compromise to my environment’s aesthetic quality, which I enjoy every day.
