{"id":261827,"date":"2023-06-12T20:37:47","date_gmt":"2023-06-12T18:37:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=261827"},"modified":"2023-06-12T20:37:50","modified_gmt":"2023-06-12T18:37:50","slug":"mexico-and-south-america-must-tap-fossil-fuels-to-fight-poverty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=261827","title":{"rendered":"Mexico and South America Must Tap Fossil Fuels to Fight Poverty"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite intense news coverage of issues surrounding the U.S. southern border, it is rare to see headlines about the energy policy of Mexico and the rest of Latin America. Nonetheless, much as in other regions, energy is a major concern inextricably tied to economic well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poverty remains pervasive in Mexico and various countries to its south. Hunger, malnutrition, poor health, lack of education and limited access to basic services are the symptoms of destitution challenging millions of lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hence, it would be disastrous for these countries to adopt policies disruptive to their economy.  This is why many of them are being careful about falling into the trap of the global net zero agenda being promoted as a way to avert a fabricated climate emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of pressures from international leaders to join the campaign to \u201cdecarbonize,\u201d overcoming poverty with economic growth powered by fossil fuels is taking precedence in these countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mexico\u2019s Pragmatic Approach De-emphasizes Renewables<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mexico, for instance, has made bold decisions about the its position on decarbonization. Eight-nine percent<\/a> of all primary energy consumed in Mexico comes from fossil fuels. Mexico\u2019s current administration understands the serious problems that intermittent wind and solar could pose to the growing economy of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why it has approved a bill<\/a> to reverse existing laws that require the prioritization of renewable energy. The bill would require the power grid to receive its primary electricity supply from state-owned plants that mostly run on fossil fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two main state energy companies, Petr\u00f3leos Mexicanos (Pemex) and Comisi\u00f3n Federal de Electricidad (CFE), are viewed as criticial to meeting Mexico\u2019s economic ambitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need to strengthen Pemex and the CFE, we need to rescue them, because deliberate moves have been taken to destroy them, so that the energy market could be left in the hands of private, national and above all foreign companies,\u201d Mexican President L\u00f3pez Obrador said<\/a> in February 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The online news outlet Equal Times reported that the president had \u201claunched a crusade against private companies in the renewables sector, which he accuses of making millions in profits, in cahoots with previous governments, at the expense of\u201d Pemex and CFE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seventy-five percent of the country\u2019s electricity already comes from fossil fuels<\/a>, and Obrador\u2019s approach almost certainly ensures that this percentage does not change drastically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (USEIA) forecasts<\/a> that Mexico\u2019s oil production is set for a revival: \u201cRecently, increasing private investment and rising condensate production helped reverse a downward trend in Mexico\u2019s oil production that began in 2004. In 2022, Mexico\u2019s oil production was nearly two million barrels per day (b\/d), similar to levels since 2019. As of the March 2023 Short-Term Energy Outlook, we forecast that Mexico\u2019s petroleum and other liquids production will average 1.93 million b\/d in 2023 and 1.91 million b\/d in 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMexico will almost certainly fail to meet its pledge to the world to reduce its carbon output,\u201d according to analysts<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brazil and Peru Need to Utilize Fossil Reserves to Move Forward<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Mexico, countries in South America hope to utilize fossil fuels to propel their economies forward. Brazil is the largest by population on the continent and also the largest oil producer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts<\/a> Brazil will \u201cbecome responsible for the production of about 50 percent of the world\u2019s offshore oil in 2040, or about 5.2 million b\/d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brazil\u2019s western neighbor, Peru, is predicted to be among the three fastest-growing<\/a> economies in South America in the next few years. In 2021, fossil fuels accounted for nearly 72 percent of the primary energy consumption in Peru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But still the country is in the primitive stages of energy consumption, ranked at a dismal 116th<\/sup> position for per capita primary energy consumption. If the country were to meet the growing energy demand in the coming years, it needs to ramp up its energy production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to USEIA<\/a>, the country is the \u201cseventh-largest crude oil reserve holder in Central and South America, with 741 million barrels of estimated proved reserves, as of January 2015.\u201d  Earlier this year, in an effort to boost reserves, the state petroleum agency offered<\/a> areas for oil and gas exploration through negotiations and 31 technical contracts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the frenzied world of net zero and green energy obsessions, it is not easy for aspiring young economies to remain committed to their use of fossil fuels, which to this day remain the bedrock of economic progress. But they must.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This commentary was first published at American Thinker, June 8, 2023, and can be accessed here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vijay Jayaraj<\/a>\u00a0is a Research Associate at the\u00a0<\/em>CO2 Coalition<\/em><\/a>, Arlington, Virginia. He holds a master\u2019s degree in environmental sciences from the University of East Anglia, UK and resides in India.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Despite intense news coverage of issues surrounding the U.S. southern border, it is rare to see headlines about the energy policy of Mexico and the rest of Latin America. Nonetheless, much as in other regions, energy is a major concern inextricably tied to economic well-being.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":261830,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691820146,691820144,691818154,691820147,691820145],"class_list":{"0":"post-261827","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-brazil","9":"tag-mexico","10":"tag-net-zero","11":"tag-offshore-oil","12":"tag-south-america","14":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/00a-drilling-rig-in-the-water-with-the-sun-setting-in-the-background.jpg?fit=2121%2C1414&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1671","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":267949,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=267949","url_meta":{"origin":261827,"position":0},"title":"No Substitute: Poverty Reduction Depends On Access To Energy Rich Coal, Oil &\u00a0Gas","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"17\/07\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Third World governments are continually berated by opportunistic globalists who claim to be saving the planet by forcing them to take up insanely expensive and thoroughly unreliable wind and solar.","rel":"","context":"In \"CO2\"","block_context":{"text":"CO2","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=co2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image-515.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image-515.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image-515.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image-515.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":417399,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=417399","url_meta":{"origin":261827,"position":1},"title":"The Gulf of America Is Back","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"14\/12\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"After years of market swings, regulatory uncertainty, and\u00a0deep staffing cuts, America\u2019s energy workforce is\u00a0overdue for a stabilizing signal. 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When forced to choose between holding the lease sale, or having the Secretary of the Interior face contempt of court charges,\u00a0they held Sale 257 in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (\u2018BOEM\u2019)\"","block_context":{"text":"Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (\u2018BOEM\u2019)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=bureau-of-ocean-energy-management-boem-2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-1060.png?fit=1200%2C1199&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-1060.png?fit=1200%2C1199&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-1060.png?fit=1200%2C1199&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-1060.png?fit=1200%2C1199&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-1060.png?fit=1200%2C1199&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":294835,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=294835","url_meta":{"origin":261827,"position":3},"title":"Sec. 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