This story was originally published in the Guardian, and is reproduced as part of Climate Desk’s collaboration. The world’s top oil and gas executives have criticised efforts to transition away from fossil fuels. They claim that the transition to clean energy is being pushed at an “unrealistic” pace.
[[{“value”:”The Guardian published this story as part of the Climate Desk collaboration, which is where it was actually published.
The bosses of the world’s top oil and gas companies have mocked efforts to cut down on fossil fuels, claiming that the transition to clean energy was being “pushed forth at an unrealistic pace.”
The oil executives, gathered at the industry’s annual Cera Week conference in Houston, Texas, have taken turns this week to denounce calls for a quick phase- out of fossil fuels, despite widespread acknowledgment within the industry, while also as scientists and governments, of the need to radically reduce planet- heating emissions to avoid the worst effects of the climate crisis.
” Despite our starring role in world prosperity, our industry is painted as transition’s arch- enemy”.
” We should abandon the fantasy of phasing out oil and gas, and rather invest in them adequately”, said Amin Nasser, chief executive of Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, to applause in the room.
Nasser refuted estimates from the International Energy Agency ( IEA ) that global demand for oil and gas will reach a peak by 2030, claiming that rising energy costs will make people more dependent on the availability of renewable energy sources rather than a transition to renewable energy.
” In fact, in the real world, the current transition strategy is obviously failing on most fronts”, Nasser added, criticizing solar, wind, and electric vehicles for what he said was a modest impact in cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
” And, despite our starring role in world prosperity, our industry is painted as transition’s arch- enemy”, Nasser complained.
Other senior executives at the conference, which brings together industry leaders and politicians in Texas ‘ oil heartland, shared this skepticism. The transition to clean energy cannot “happen at an impossible pace,” according to Meg O’Neill, the company’s CEO, predicting that the development of cleaner fuels could take up to 40 years.
” It has become emotional”, O’Neill said of the climate debate. ” And when things are personal, it becomes more difficult to have a logical conversation”.
The fossil fuel industry is” a peripheral force at best” in its efforts to transition to clean energy, according to the EIA.
” If we rush or if things go the wrong way, we’ll have a crisis that we will not forget”, warned Jean Paul Prates, chief executive of Petrobras, Brazil’s state- owned oil corporation, about the shift to clean energy.
The comments were quickly denounced by climate campaigners.
According to Jeff Ordower, North America director of 350.org, those in the industry “work night and day to torpedo a transition to renewable energy and then have the audacity to criticize the slowness of the transition itself.” Instead of being given a global perspective on a fresh and equal future, we get talking points from the 1970s.
Because it’s obvious that the industry does n’t have a real interest in resolving the climate crisis, Ordower advised,” we should be skeptical of any solutions.”
The conference, which has the “multi- spatial, multi- speed, and multi- fuel energy transition” as its theme, is being held to a backdrop of some big oil and gas companies reversing their plans to cut production and watering down targets to eliminate greenhouse gases, yet as they bask in around- record profits.
The industry has used Cera Week to discuss the prospects of carbon capture and hydrogen technologies, which the industry believes are suitable avenues for government subsidies that do not threaten the core business model of drilling for oil and gas, as Darren Woods, the CEO of Exxon, recently stated that the public is willing to pay for a world with less carbon pollution.
” They’ve actually come to Cera Week to continue promoting fossil fuel production and extraction, and delaying the transition”.
Scientists are clear, nevertheless, that the world needs to get to net zero emissions by the late- point of this century to avoid disastrous heatwaves, droughts, floods, and other climate- driven impacts and so far no technology is able to ameliorate the primary task of not burning more oil, gas, and coal.
Oil and gas use would have to decrease by more than 75 % by 2050 if the world is to stay within the internationally agreed goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C beyond pre-industrial times, according to the IEA, which has called the fossil fuel industry” a marginal force at best” in investing in the transition to clean energy.
This would require the slowdown of a previously unheard boom in the US Gulf of Mexico coast’s gas infrastructure, which Joe Biden’s administration recently attempted to dampen by announcing a new stop in new liquified natural gas exports from these facilities. At Cera Week, however, Jennifer Granholm, Biden’s energy secretary, said that the pause will be “long in the rear- view mirror” in a year’s time.
Climate activists in Houston claimed that the oil and gas development executives had communicated their true intentions at the gathering, including those who staged a mock funeral march outside the conference on Tuesday.
According to Josh Eisenfeld, corporate responsibility campaign manager at Earthworks,” If you look at their actions, it becomes clear that they are not only committed to reducing emissions, but they have also come to Cera Week to continue supporting fossil fuel production and extraction and halting the transition to a just, clean energy future.”
Campaigner at GreenFaith Aly Tharp claimed activists had been purposefully prevented from signing up for the event, leaving them with questions to ask outside the venue. She said,” I have a moral obligation to stop the systematic poisoning of our planet caused by fossil fuels.” These flaws must be identified and understood, not neglected in the conversation.”}]] This article was first published by the Guardian, and it is now available these as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The bosses of the world’s top oil and gas companies have mocked efforts to cut down on fossil fuels, claiming that an “unrealistic” transition to clean energy was being pushed ahead at an “unrealistic pace.”
This story was originally published in the Guardian, and is reproduced as part of Climate Desk’s collaboration. The world’s top oil and gas executives have criticised efforts to transition away from fossil fuels. They claim that the transition to clean energy is being pushed at an “unrealistic” pace.
The President and CEO of Saudi Aramco, Amin Nasser, addresses the audience at the CERAWeek oil summit in Houston, Texas. The image was captured by Mark Felix of Getty Images. This article was first released by the Guardian and is shared here as a component of the Climate Desk partnership. The chief executives of the top oil and gas corporations have criticized attempts to shift away from fossil fuels, arguing that the transition to clean energy is progressing at an unrealistic speed and is visibly unsuccessful. Oil executives at the Cera Week conference in Houston, Texas have all spoken out against the idea of quickly getting rid of fossil fuels, even though many in the industry, as well as scientists and governments, agree that significant reductions in emissions are necessary to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. They feel that despite the oil industry’s significant contributions to global wealth, it is often seen as an obstacle to transitioning to cleaner energy sources. Woodside Energy’s chief executive, Meg O’Neill, emphasized that the shift to cleaner energy must occur at a realistic pace, estimating that it could take as long as four decades for cleaner fuels to be fully developed. She noted that the climate debate has become highly emotional. Having a pragmatic conversation becomes harder when emotions are involved. The EIA has described the fossil-fuel industry as having little impact on investing in clean energy transition. Jean Paul Prates, CEO of Petrobras, cautioned against rushing the shift to clean energy, fearing a crisis. Climate activists criticized industry members for obstructing renewable energy transition and then criticizing its slow progress, according to Jeff Ordower from 350.org. Cera Week should showcase a worldwide perspective on a sustainable and fair future, but instead, we are presented with outdated rhetoric from the 1970s.
