Fossil fuels: oil as a “gift from God”? – Host shocks climate summit

Despite all the appeals at the World Climate Conference, the power of the climate-damaging fossil fuel industry hardly seems to be crumbling. Corporations are producing oil and gas on a historic scale and the President of the climate summit host country Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, even praises fossil fuels as a “gift from God”.

No country should be accused of having oil and gas and putting it on the market, Aliyev emphasized to the global community gathered in the fight against the climate crisis. “Accusing us that we have oil is like accusing us that Baku has more than 250 days of sunshine a year.”

Statement on oil and gas a “slap in the face”

The head of Greenpeace Germany, Martin Kaiser, reacted with horror after this statement: “It is a slap in the face of all those people and countries that are already literally up to their necks in water” – such as the Pacific island states and many other countries.

There is a clear consensus in science: If the most catastrophic consequences of global warming are to be prevented, no new projects to extract coal, oil and gas should be created.

At last year’s UN climate conference in Dubai, all countries made a fundamental commitment for the first time to move away from these climate-damaging energy sources.

Historical production of oil and gas

The reality is far from this goal: according to an analysis by environmental organizations, oil and gas production from major producers worldwide will reach a peak in 2023. This emerges from the “Global Oil & Gas Exit List”, which the Urgewald organization updates annually together with more than 30 partners.

Accordingly, the companies covered – which account for 95 percent of global oil and gas production – produced 55.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent last year. According to the information, this was above the previous highs that were reached before the corona pandemic. In 2019, this value corresponded to 55.01 billion barrels of oil equivalent. The unit is used to compare energy sources: it is the amount of energy that is released when a barrel of crude oil is burned.

Shell wins in court against climate activists

The oil and gas industry was also strengthened by a victory in court that the British company Shell achieved against climate activists: the company does not have to drastically reduce its CO2 emissions after the judges’ decision. A civil court in The Hague overturned a first instance ruling and dismissed environmental activists’ lawsuit. The proceedings in The Hague attracted worldwide attention after the historic victory of the climate activists in the first instance. A new conviction against Shell could have had consequences for other companies as well.

At the same time in Baku, UN Secretary General António Guterres called it “absurd” to rely on fossil energy. “The rich cause the problem, the poorest pay the highest price.” The UN chief called on the world’s countries to keep their promises and phase out climate-damaging fossil fuels. He sees the industrialized countries of the G20 group as particularly responsible.

Scholz and colleagues skip climate summits

Several heads of state and government from these countries were missing from the stage in Baku. In addition to Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), US President Joe Biden, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron were also missing. On the day on which his visit to Baku was actually planned, Scholz, caught in the government chaos, only commented in writing about a climate club from a few dozen countries that he had initiated in recent years.

Instead, politicians from states that are feeling the effects of the climate crisis particularly hard spoke before the plenary session in Baku: The President of the Marshall Islands, which is threatened by rising sea levels, Hilda Heine, asked whether and when states and companies would be held accountable still rely on the extraction of coal, oil and gas. “History will judge those who fail in the transition.” Some apparently thought they were immune to the destruction on their doorstep.