The much anticipated G20 meeting on Energy Transitions involving the energy ministers or their representatives of the world’s 20 largest economies, concluded in Goa on Saturday, albeit, without there being a meeting of minds on crucial issues -- the most important of which was the phasing down of fossil fuels, a necessary condition if the world is to avoid the catastrophic consequences a warmer world will bring.
While India, which is the host country, has attempted to play a leadership role and has for its part claimed that the present G20 has been “one of the most successful G20 conferences” reports quoting sources present in the meeting have revealed that there were significant differences between member countries with oil exporting countries like Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Russia staunchly opposing any language that would involve or even hint at reducing global dependence on fossil fuels.
The reports indicate that the countries were insistent that methods of carbon capture and sequestration would adequately address the concerns of global warming. In essence, the countries demand that the world continue using fossil fuels and instead try to mitigate the effects of global warming through carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technologies.
However, it is an established fact that CCUS is an ineffective technology at best and downright humbug at worst, designed only to allow oil-exporting countries and oil-guzzling nations to continue pumping CO2 into the atmosphere, but without the guilt of contributing to global warming.
The countries have the gall to continue hammering through their own points of view that insist on business as usual when it comes to fossil fuels, despite the world going through one of the hottest summers on record, which speaks volumes of global leaders' commitment (or lack thereof) to put everyone’s well being over their own narrow profits.
As had been articulated by India’s energy minister R K Sharma at the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM), global leadership has no option but to take cognizance of unprecedented heat waves across Europe, wildfires across much of Canada, Australia, Greece and flooding across several countries of the world including the USA, South Korea, Japan not forgetting the damage this year’s seemingly ‘below average’ monsoon is causing in India.
Alarmingly, global warming-induced climate catastrophes are only going to get worse from here, leaving people unable to rebuild their lives as quickly as extreme weather events will tear them apart. In this context, the acute stubbornness on display at the G20 meeting, by countries who sought to keep their narrow economic interests above the common good is not only deplorable but also deeply disappointing.
The reassurances that a breakthrough can be achieved at the upcoming COP 28 meeting in the UAE later this year do not inspire confidence that the world leaders will unite to keep the people and the planet above their narrow selfish interests for profit.
Failing to secure commitments from the world’s major economies that they will phase down fossil fuel use only takes us closer and closer towards a cliff rather than a gentle landing that the world is going to need if we are to safely navigate ourselves towards a future that is sustainable over the long term.
