|
The fossil fuel industry
keeps us dependent on coal, oil and gas; and Governments use
your money to finance it.
"We're doing great, thank God. [...]
We're using more fossil fuels. We're putting more CO2 in the
air. The coal plants are running at record levels. Business
has never been better." Fred Palmer, Western Fuels
Association
To face up to climate change, we need nothing
less than a revolution in how we generate and consume energy.
However, not everyone is interested. The owners of old and inefficient
power stations and industry installations are making money from
their dinosaurs and want to continue to do so.
These people are willing to do a great deal to
prevent or delay action on climate change that would require
them to shift to cleaner technologies. The fossil fuel industry
funnels money to think tanks that publish slick reports challenging
the scientific consensus about the dangers of climate change.
This strategy was laid out years ago in a secret industry memo
called A Global Climate Science Communications Action Plan.
It says, quote "Victory will be achieved when…uncertainties
in climate science…become part of the conventional wisdom."
Governments also actively support the fossil fuel
business. The coal, oil and gas industry receives global subsidies
of €165 billion of taxpayers' money every year. Removing
these subsidies could cut global carbon dioxide emissions by
up to 18%, e.g. by forcing power companies to invest in clean
energy to stay competitive.
International financial institutions, such as
the World Bank, fund the extraction of yet more oil, coal and
gas for the rich. Very often this leads to social and economic
disruption and environmental damage in developing countries.
The pipeline that is currently being built to link the Caspian
oil fields with the Mediterranean is a prime example. The volume
of new oil it will transport every year will release 170 million
tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere - equivalent to
30% of UK's annual carbon dioxide emissions.
|
