{"id":395663,"date":"2025-08-17T13:25:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T11:25:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=395663"},"modified":"2025-08-17T13:25:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T11:25:19","slug":"choosing-the-positive-reality-of-hydrocarbons-over-green-fantasies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=395663","title":{"rendered":"Choosing the Positive Reality of Hydrocarbons Over \u2018Green\u2019 Fantasies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"An<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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

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

Guest essay by Vijay Jayaraj<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

British multinational BP has announced its largest oil and gas discovery in 25 years in Brazil\u2019s Santos Basin. By 2030, daily production is expected to be 2.3 to 2.5 million barrels of oil equivalent, which leaves little doubt that the company is solidly committed to hydrocarbons after a brief flirtation with alternatives like wind and solar energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BP\u2019s clever but ill-conceived \u201cgreen\u201d marketing of \u201cBeyond Petroleum<\/a>\u201d has shifted to \u201cPetroleum Now and for the Foreseeable Future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly chastened by reality, Brazil\u2019s President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva \u2013 once anointed to reverse his predecessor\u2019s policies of developing the nation\u2019s natural resources \u2013 has vetoed legislation to tighten environmental licensing. The move greenlights development of energy projects previously stalled by a climate obsession and reflects pressures of having to tend to the welfare of more than 200 million people with pragmatic choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite promises of net-zero emissions and green energy transitions, the global appetite for fossil fuels remains insatiable. Countries like China and India have mastered the art of paying lip service to climate goals while doubling down on oil, natural gas and coal, and now others are following their lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Brazilian reality check is a powerful note in a global chorus of nations that are shedding the shackles of the net-zero agenda. Governments chasing economic growth may be tempted by the trappings of \u201clow-carbon\u201d credentials, but they want the economic power of fossil fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The policymakers who absurdly treat wind and solar as moral imperatives regard, quite rightly, fossil fuels as indispensable backups to technologies that are available only when the sun and breeze allow it. Moreover, leaders of emerging economies know hydrocarbons underpin growth \u2013 as they did in the creation of Western wealth \u2013 and so they present climate goals as aspirational ideals rather than binding commitments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The LaLa Land of the green climate industrial complex is nice to contemplate over a glass of chardonnay, but nobody wants to live there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brazil\u2019s neighbor Guyana has become the world\u2019s fastest-growing economy, a transformation fueled almost entirely by massive offshore oil discoveries managed by ExxonMobil. Across the globe, countries are planning and constructing dozens of new coal-fired power plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China and India have perfected the art of climate doublespeak. They regularly announce record-breaking installations of solar and wind capacity and set distant deadlines for \u201ccarbon neutrality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, they relentlessly pursue development of fossil fuels. In 2024, China opened more than 40 coal-fired power plants \u2013 something no country has ever done. It is also financing and building such plants across Asia and Africa through its Belt and Road Initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ignoring this, the climate lobby pretends that the \u201cenergy transition\u201d is a simple matter of swapping an internal combustion engine for an electric vehicle or a coal plant for a field of solar panels. This is a profound and deliberate misrepresentation of reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Europe is no less hypocritical. Norway, often held up as a model of \u201cgreen\u201d virtue, is the continent\u2019s largest oil and gas producer. It continues to grant new licenses for exploration in the North and Barents seas. Built on hydrocarbon profits, Norway\u2019s sovereign wealth fund is a testament to the enduring value of fossil fuels.

This is the same hypocrisy that has political leaders fly private jets to climate summits \u2013 creating the lifetime carbon footprint of entire communities in Africa \u2013 and then propose to police the thermostats and driving habits of working people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next time you hear a speech about ending the use of hydrocarbons, remember BP\u2019s Brazilian oil, the coal plants under construction in Asia and Africa and Norwegian wealth created by offshore wells.  And remember that behind the public declarations of achieving a \u201cgreen\u201d nirvana, real-world actions to sustain life and raise billions out of poverty are keeping oil, natural gas and coal at the center of the global economy \u2013 right where they belong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vijay Jayaraj is a Science and Research Associate at the <\/em>CO2<\/sub> Coalition<\/em><\/a>, Fairfax, Virginia. He <\/em>holds an M.S. in environmental sciences from the University of East Anglia and a postgraduate degree in energy management from Robert Gordon University, both in the U.K., and a bachelor\u2019s in engineering from Anna University, India.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

British multinational BP has announced its largest oil and gas discovery in 25 years in Brazil\u2019s Santos Basin. By 2030, daily production is expected to be 2.3 to 2.5 million barrels of oil equivalent, which leaves little doubt that the company is solidly committed to hydrocarbons after a brief flirtation with alternatives like wind and solar energy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":395665,"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":"Explore BP's major oil discovery in Brazil and the global reliance on fossil fuels amidst climate promises in this insightful analysis.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"Petroleum's Resurgence: Why Fossil Fuels Are Here to Stay","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":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":[691837328,691833545,691818341,691818228,691837329,691820814,691818154,691818744],"class_list":{"0":"post-395663","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-brazils-santos-basin","9":"tag-british-petroleum-bp","10":"tag-china","11":"tag-fossil-fuels","12":"tag-green-energy-transitions","13":"tag-hydrocarbons","14":"tag-net-zero","15":"tag-norway","17":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQMMmmeQO3hUU5QPhkldsFoCkTPc8FH1XNjTxq2lJmDBC0rkwv4Pjua1uUJKbccrj2stRFSrTG-n0FyWr-vVmYfZg_SbkyzNeqIbXA8b_E3MulAWP49hbIkKyg8gJgAiM6-nf-hemNRtTHFo1Ys2Gbqqr3ftkA-1.jpeg?fit=1280%2C1280&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1EVF","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":408375,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=408375","url_meta":{"origin":395663,"position":0},"title":"New Gas Find Set to Transform India’s Upstream Production","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"15\/10\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"India\u2019s latest gas discovery in the under-explored Andaman-Nicobar Basin could prove to be a valuable stepping stone towards increased domestic upstream production and greater energy security for the country \u2013 but whether the basin can become a significant contributor to India\u2019s domestic gas supply and pull in more long-term national\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Andaman-Nicobar Basin\"","block_context":{"text":"Andaman-Nicobar Basin","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=andaman-nicobar-basin"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0AQNWq-Fgia9UO-GORg3L2bp-KFa-Tyyyv9kMj1VSeRASUSOsLqpNYRc-0arGeFi-E-8snWzu-2MIUPctCOSxXa6JYQCcD-Dq2FV_Sy_pWU7wFyMXNZ-BciaKdR66HUzS-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C731&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0AQNWq-Fgia9UO-GORg3L2bp-KFa-Tyyyv9kMj1VSeRASUSOsLqpNYRc-0arGeFi-E-8snWzu-2MIUPctCOSxXa6JYQCcD-Dq2FV_Sy_pWU7wFyMXNZ-BciaKdR66HUzS-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C731&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0AQNWq-Fgia9UO-GORg3L2bp-KFa-Tyyyv9kMj1VSeRASUSOsLqpNYRc-0arGeFi-E-8snWzu-2MIUPctCOSxXa6JYQCcD-Dq2FV_Sy_pWU7wFyMXNZ-BciaKdR66HUzS-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C731&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0AQNWq-Fgia9UO-GORg3L2bp-KFa-Tyyyv9kMj1VSeRASUSOsLqpNYRc-0arGeFi-E-8snWzu-2MIUPctCOSxXa6JYQCcD-Dq2FV_Sy_pWU7wFyMXNZ-BciaKdR66HUzS-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C731&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0AQNWq-Fgia9UO-GORg3L2bp-KFa-Tyyyv9kMj1VSeRASUSOsLqpNYRc-0arGeFi-E-8snWzu-2MIUPctCOSxXa6JYQCcD-Dq2FV_Sy_pWU7wFyMXNZ-BciaKdR66HUzS-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C731&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":419163,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=419163","url_meta":{"origin":395663,"position":1},"title":"Energy Transition Meltdown Could Mean Global Bifurcation","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"30\/12\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"History will likely remember 2025 as the year energy corporatists finally stopped pretending there is a climate crisis. For a decade, a bizarre theater of the absurd played out as titans of the oil and gas industry apologized for their core business while pledging allegiance to a \u201cgreen transition\u201d that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"\u201cgreen transition\u201d\"","block_context":{"text":"\u201cgreen transition\u201d","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=green-transition-2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQM6uASCh6sY3Vl9GzRbxNJlfaVQdKi6F0AOxT5JUJC9Wb9nnTCSXqIU5Nl8EQA54rBFdiIeCYANxSVRWaH9wQTJAraNw8QMEoNs4rvyI7t6Xnx7N5dkEtxdBydYQ7WY-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C731&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQM6uASCh6sY3Vl9GzRbxNJlfaVQdKi6F0AOxT5JUJC9Wb9nnTCSXqIU5Nl8EQA54rBFdiIeCYANxSVRWaH9wQTJAraNw8QMEoNs4rvyI7t6Xnx7N5dkEtxdBydYQ7WY-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C731&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQM6uASCh6sY3Vl9GzRbxNJlfaVQdKi6F0AOxT5JUJC9Wb9nnTCSXqIU5Nl8EQA54rBFdiIeCYANxSVRWaH9wQTJAraNw8QMEoNs4rvyI7t6Xnx7N5dkEtxdBydYQ7WY-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C731&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQM6uASCh6sY3Vl9GzRbxNJlfaVQdKi6F0AOxT5JUJC9Wb9nnTCSXqIU5Nl8EQA54rBFdiIeCYANxSVRWaH9wQTJAraNw8QMEoNs4rvyI7t6Xnx7N5dkEtxdBydYQ7WY-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C731&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQM6uASCh6sY3Vl9GzRbxNJlfaVQdKi6F0AOxT5JUJC9Wb9nnTCSXqIU5Nl8EQA54rBFdiIeCYANxSVRWaH9wQTJAraNw8QMEoNs4rvyI7t6Xnx7N5dkEtxdBydYQ7WY-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C731&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":420446,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=420446","url_meta":{"origin":395663,"position":2},"title":"Energy Transition Meltdown Could Mean Global Bifurcation","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/01\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Energy Transition Meltdown Could Mean Global Bifurcation\" is an article published in late December 2025 by Vijay Jayaraj, at the CO\u2082 Coalition. Jayaraj argues that 2025 marked a turning point where major energy companies abandoned aggressive \"green\" commitments, exposing the net-zero energy transition as an unrealistic \"fantasy\" driven by bureaucracy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"\u201cgreen transition\u201d\"","block_context":{"text":"\u201cgreen transition\u201d","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=green-transition-2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQM6uASCh6sY3Vl9GzRbxNJlfaVQdKi6F0AOxT5JUJC9Wb9nnTCSXqIU5Nl8EQA54rBFdiIeCYANxSVRWaH9wQTJAraNw8QMEoNs4rvyI7t6Xnx7N5dkEtxdBydYQ7WY.jpeg?fit=1200%2C731&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQM6uASCh6sY3Vl9GzRbxNJlfaVQdKi6F0AOxT5JUJC9Wb9nnTCSXqIU5Nl8EQA54rBFdiIeCYANxSVRWaH9wQTJAraNw8QMEoNs4rvyI7t6Xnx7N5dkEtxdBydYQ7WY.jpeg?fit=1200%2C731&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQM6uASCh6sY3Vl9GzRbxNJlfaVQdKi6F0AOxT5JUJC9Wb9nnTCSXqIU5Nl8EQA54rBFdiIeCYANxSVRWaH9wQTJAraNw8QMEoNs4rvyI7t6Xnx7N5dkEtxdBydYQ7WY.jpeg?fit=1200%2C731&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQM6uASCh6sY3Vl9GzRbxNJlfaVQdKi6F0AOxT5JUJC9Wb9nnTCSXqIU5Nl8EQA54rBFdiIeCYANxSVRWaH9wQTJAraNw8QMEoNs4rvyI7t6Xnx7N5dkEtxdBydYQ7WY.jpeg?fit=1200%2C731&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQM6uASCh6sY3Vl9GzRbxNJlfaVQdKi6F0AOxT5JUJC9Wb9nnTCSXqIU5Nl8EQA54rBFdiIeCYANxSVRWaH9wQTJAraNw8QMEoNs4rvyI7t6Xnx7N5dkEtxdBydYQ7WY.jpeg?fit=1200%2C731&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":245118,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=245118","url_meta":{"origin":395663,"position":3},"title":"The \u2018Energy Transition\u2019: Learning and Retreat at BP","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"23\/02\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cPhysical and economic realities must not only be considered but controlling. Wishing and hoping for change is not a successful business strategy, and the past few years have awakened BP management to that reality.\u201d","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-666.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-666.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-666.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-666.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-666.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":384439,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=384439","url_meta":{"origin":395663,"position":4},"title":"Decarbonization Myth Frays as Hydrocarbon Use Grows","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"23\/06\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"One cannot peruse the morning headlines or scroll through the digital ether without being assailed by the global media\u2019s solemn decree: Society is gracefully, unequivocally and inexorably decoupling from the deathly embrace of fossil fuels.","rel":"","context":"In \"British Petroleum (BP)\"","block_context":{"text":"British Petroleum (BP)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=british-petroleum-bp"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ChatGPT-Image-17.-Juni-2025-09_22_59.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ChatGPT-Image-17.-Juni-2025-09_22_59.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ChatGPT-Image-17.-Juni-2025-09_22_59.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ChatGPT-Image-17.-Juni-2025-09_22_59.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":243069,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=243069","url_meta":{"origin":395663,"position":5},"title":"Backflip: BP \u201cdisappointed\u201d in renewables \u2014 flags a shift back to oil and gas and \u201cmaking profits\u201d","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"03\/02\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Bernard Looney seeks to sharpen strategic focus, with less emphasis on environmental goals","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-121.png?fit=1200%2C726&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-121.png?fit=1200%2C726&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-121.png?fit=1200%2C726&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-121.png?fit=1200%2C726&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-121.png?fit=1200%2C726&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=395663"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":395668,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395663\/revisions\/395668"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/395665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=395663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=395663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=395663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}