{"id":289929,"date":"2023-12-04T14:25:32","date_gmt":"2023-12-04T13:25:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=289929"},"modified":"2023-12-04T14:25:34","modified_gmt":"2023-12-04T13:25:34","slug":"economic-progress-and-fossil-fuels-the-elephant-in-the-room-at-u-n-climate-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=289929","title":{"rendered":"Economic Progress and Fossil Fuels: The Elephant in the Room at U.N. Climate Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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

The mainstream media are gearing up to bombard people with terms like \u201cclimate emergency,\u201d \u201cclimate justice\u201d and \u201cclimate equity\u201d in anticipation of this week\u2019s start of the 28th United Nations<\/a> Conference of the Parties in Dubai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They might even introduce catchphrases and announce historic breakthroughs in emission-reduction diplomacy. The public relations messaging of climate politics, however, has little connection with the economic realities of countries such as India<\/a> that require heavy use of fossil fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As politicians in fuel-guzzling jets prepare to descend on Dubai and lecture poor countries on energy morality,\u00a0India<\/a>\u00a0is sending a subtle yet clear message that it is not giving up coal, oil and natural gas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In India<\/a>, elephants reign supreme, capturing the hearts of those who encounter them. With a staggering 32,000 elephants, the sprawling tropical forests of India<\/a> are home to the sixth-largest population of these majestic creatures. In my formative years, I had the privilege of visiting these gentle giants in their native domain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, I\u2019ve witnessed my native country rise as a metaphorical elephant that refuses to go away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

India<\/a> \u2014 along with China and African and Southeast Asian nations \u2014 has become the \u201celephant in the room\u201d at the yearly U.N<\/a>, climate gatherings. Leaders of the subcontinent have steadfastly asserted the country\u2019s right to use fossil fuels, unwilling to comply with restrictive U.N<\/a>. recommendations for energy policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.N<\/a>. climate conference in 2015 was hailed as a pivotal moment as it sparked the creation of the Paris Agreement to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels. But even at that time, India<\/a>\u2019s resistance was unmistakable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the formulation of the agreement, India<\/a> vehemently opposed the imposition of stringent emission-reduction mandates on its economy. It played an integral role in devising of the term \u201cclimate justice\u201d while arguing that economic progress should not be sacrificed by restrictions on the use of fossil fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution \u2014 a document where individual countries outlined their level of commitment to the Paris accord \u2014 India<\/a> made clear that it would not compromise domestic energy security at the altar of climate religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the 2022 gathering in Egypt, climate luminaries put forth a pioneering proposition to phase out all fossil fuels. Again, India<\/a> persistently opposed such a course of action, opting instead to pursue a \u201cphase down\u201d rather than a \u201cphaseout\u201d of fossil fuels. With no intention to decrease its consumption of fossil fuels, the country has boldly put off net zero, the holy grail of the climate-obsessed, until 2070.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unbeknownst to many, Indian Power Minister R.K. Singh conceded in August that meeting the burgeoning energy needs of a developing country like India<\/a> would be unattainable without a noticeable escalation in the utilization of fossil fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you have an economy that is growing at 7%, electricity from coal will also grow,\u201d he said. \u201cWe will meet the energy requirement for our growth because we have a right to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CNBC reports unanimous agreement among analysts that India<\/a>\u2019s solar, wind and hydro energy capabilities are deemed unreliable to support growing power needs. Sooraj Narayan, Wood Mackenzie\u2019s senior research analyst, says that India<\/a>\u2019s \u201cheightened power demand necessitates a reliable, cost-effective, and consistent power generation source, which coal currently fulfills.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

India<\/a> is the world\u2019s second-highest user of coal and third-largest consumer of oil. India<\/a> has had a dramatic surge in coal imports from Indonesia and is seeking new markets from which to buy coal. Many new mines are being opened annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the G20 summit earlier this year, India<\/a> proposed a new strategy called \u201cmultiple pathways\u201d that seeks unabated, continued use of fossil fuels \u2014 a direct contradiction of the West\u2019s decarbonization schemes. This conflict may reemerge at the upcoming U.N<\/a>. climate gathering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Major developing economies seem unfazed by the yearly U.N<\/a>. climate conference as they continue to meet energy needs with hydrocarbons. With the world relying on fossil fuels for 80% of its primary energy, this dependence is expected to grow with an increasing number of people trading poverty for prosperity in the coming decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Announcements about emission-reduction breakthroughs at these events are little more than flimsy shields trying to hide an elephant the climate elite refuses to acknowledge. The reality of economic imperatives, however, will eventually expose the folly of decarbonization plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This commentary was first published at Washington Times<\/em><\/a> on November 28, 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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

The mainstream media are gearing up to bombard people with terms like \u201cclimate emergency,\u201d \u201cclimate justice\u201d and \u201cclimate equity\u201d in anticipation of this week\u2019s start of the 28th United Nations Conference of the Parties in Dubai. They might even introduce catchphrases and announce historic breakthroughs in emission-reduction diplomacy. The public relations messaging of climate politics, however, has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":289934,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","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_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"The mainstream media are gearing up to bombard people with terms like \u201cclimate emergency,\u201d \u201cclimate justice\u201d and \u201cclimate equity\u201d in anticipation of this week\u2019s start of the 28th\u00a0United Nations\u00a0Conference of the Parties in Dubai.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"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":[691818076,691818228,691818237,691818154,691825016,691822036],"class_list":["post-289929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-co2","tag-fossil-fuels","tag-india","tag-net-zero","tag-u-n-climate-conference","tag-vijay-jayaraj","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-112.png?fit=878%2C730&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1dqh","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":354409,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=354409","url_meta":{"origin":289929,"position":0},"title":"Global South\u2019s Energy Rebellion at COP29 Signals a New Future","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"12\/14\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The climate movement\u2019s\u00a0annual showpiece, the United Nation\u2019s Conference of Parties (COP), held this year in Baku,\u00a0Azerbaijan, has been exposed to\u00a0an unprecedented level of disinterest \u2013 even dissent \u2013 from developing nations.","rel":"","context":"In \"a gift from God\"","block_context":{"text":"a gift from God","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=a-gift-from-god"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0COp28_money_politics.width-1024.jpg?fit=1024%2C535&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0COp28_money_politics.width-1024.jpg?fit=1024%2C535&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0COp28_money_politics.width-1024.jpg?fit=1024%2C535&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0COp28_money_politics.width-1024.jpg?fit=1024%2C535&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":351075,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=351075","url_meta":{"origin":289929,"position":1},"title":"President Trump: The Final Nail in the Coffin of the Global Environmental Agenda?","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/13\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Another year, and another \u2018Conference of the Parties\u2019 (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will convene. 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