UN Chief: ‘Madness’ to Rush to ‘Fossil Fuels’ Over Ukraine War
The BBC here reports on the climate-obsessed UN Secretary General claiming the rush to use ‘fossil fuels’ because of the war in Ukraine is “madness” and threatens global climate targets.
The invasion of Ukraine has seen rapid rises in the prices of coal, oil and gas as countries scramble to replace Russian sources.
But Antonio Guterres warns that these short-term measures might “close the window” on the Paris climate goals.
He also calls on countries, including China, to fully phase out coal by 2040.
In his first major speech on climate and energy since COP26, Mr Guterres makes no bones about the fact that the limited progress achieved in Glasgow is insufficient to ward off dangerous climate change.
Scientists believe that keeping the rise in global temperatures under 1.5C this century is crucial to limiting the scale of damage from global warming.
To keep that threshold alive, carbon output needs to be cut in half by the end of this decade. Instead, as Mr Guterres points out, emissions are set to rise by 14 percent.
“The problem was not solved in Glasgow,” Mr Guterres says, in a speech delivered at the Economist Sustainability Summit.
“In fact, the problem is getting worse.”
The war in Ukraine threatens to make that situation even more problematic, he says.
Europe and the UK and other countries are looking to cut their reliance on Russian oil and gas this year. Many are turning to coal or imports of liquefied natural gas as alternative sources.
But Mr Guterres warns this short-term approach heralds great danger for the climate.
“Countries could become so consumed by the immediate ‘fossil fuel’ supply gap that they neglect or knee-cap policies to cut ‘fossil fuel’ use,” Mr Guterres said.
“This is madness. Addiction to fossil fuels is mutually assured destruction.”
Countries must “accelerate the phase out of coal and all ‘fossil fuels’,” and implement a rapid and sustainable energy transition.
It is “the only true pathway to energy security.”
Mr Guterres says the solutions to the climate crisis mostly lie in the hands of the G20 group of richest nations, which produce around 80 percent of global emissions.
While many of these countries have taken great steps to slash emissions by 2030, there are a “handful of holdouts, such as Australia.”
Coal must be banished, Mr Guterres says, with a full phase-out for richer nations by 2030, and 2040 for all others, including China.
Coal “is a stupid investment,” according to the Secretary General, “leading to billions in stranded assets.”
He says the way forward is to build coalitions to help major emerging economies to move rapidly away from ‘fossil fuels’.
He highlights the case of South Africa. During COP26 several countries including the UK, US and others agreed to an $8.5bn financing programme to end South Africa’s reliance on coal.
Mr Guterres says the pieces are coming together for similar coalitions in Indonesia, Vietnam and elsewhere.
Money is one of the key problems in addressing the climate issue and Mr Guterres has called for a major ramping up in finance to help countries adapt to rising temperatures.
He points out that right now, one person in three globally is not covered by early warning systems for disasters – in Africa six in ten people are not protected.
In 2022, he argues, richer countries must finally make good on their well-worn promise to provide a $100bn a year to the developing world.
See more here: bbc.co.uk
Editor’s note: this is typical bargain-basement fearmongering garbage from the BBC. There is no climate crisis. The Earth is healthier now than it was a century ago.
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Herb Rose
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Right. The large increase in the cost of oil, gas, and coal due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine is going to cause more people to use oil, gas, and coal for power generation. It couldn’t be that the “green” approved sources are unreliable, too expensive and will never be able to provide enough power meet demand. Does the job description for being UN Secretary General include the requirement that you be a moron?
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Mark Tapley
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Hi Herb:
Although we now have more known reserves of oil and gas than ever, the prices were going up long before the fake war in the Ukraine. The same bio lab propaganda was used as an excuse to destroy Iraq as demanded to implement the Yinnon Plan ( weakening and Balkanizing the Arab countries) for Greater Israel. The fake war and higher prices were also used to stop the trucker convoys which were having a large impact in Canada and the Zionists did not want it to spread. It is also critical for the insiders to limit all consideration of the ever increasing blood toxin injection damage and deaths. Another part of the strategy in order to implement Agenda 2030-21 is to get people to give up their cars due to higher fuel prices, and registration taxes. Also in the works by the parasitic elite who live as sybaritic royalty, is the attack on meat (high quality protein and fat) and promotion of grain based diet of the poor and malnourished for a chronically weakened society, resulting in epigenetic consequences for those still hoping to produce offspring. Nothing is accidental but a many decades old plan as written out by the Zionist operative for the early industrialist’s, Karl Marx (Moses Mordecai Levy) in his ten point planks for total global hegemony by the insiders.
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Jerry Krause
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Hi Fellows and PSI Readers,
Does anyone remember what gasoline prices in the 70’s were in European countries relative to prices in the USA???
Have a good day, Jerry
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Mark Tapley
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Hello Jerry:
I don’t know about specific prices, but at that time, the U.S. was getting lots of its oil from the Saudis how cut back on production at one point due sympathy for Arab struggle against Khazar (U.S.) invaders. Thats when Rumsfeld paid a visit and told the king, “you see what happened to Moseddagh (Iran), the same thing could happen to you.” Iranian gov. were over thrown by CIA in 1953 and replaced by puppet actor Shah. In the 80’s we had the fake Peak Oil movement where we were “running out of oil” while tankers were stacked up off shore. The peak Oil Movement scam was founded by M. King Hubbert also founding member of the old Technocracy mov. of the 30’s now revamped as The Sustainable Development Initiative Agenda 2030-21 which is the global Zionist goal used by front groups such as the WEF. They have their people in all key positions in gov. academia, media, big Pharma, and corp. Elon Musk’s grand father was head of Technocracy in Canada.
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