Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Gulf News, whose holding company is chaired by the United Arab Emirates Minister for Finance, has printed an article demanding the USA cut CO2 Emissions in line the Paris Agreement.
The US must act on climate change
The Paris Agreement is our best hope yet in preventing irrevocable environmental damage and all must adhere to its limits.
Published: 17:22 May 28, 2017
…
Trump has repeatedly said that he will decide on the Paris Agreement by the end of May, and with that now upon us, the danger is that he may renege on the US commitment to adhere to its environmental responsibilities.
Should Trump baulk, the danger is that other mass emitters of greenhouse gases such as China and India will follow suit, rendering what is our best hope to negate climate change as virtually worthless. This decision by Trump is crucial — and so too how nations react. We much not let this period now be the turning point where future generations look back through the fog of their dangerously warmed up world and say: “That was the beginning of the end.”
Read more: http://gulfnews.com/opinion/editorials/the-us-must-act-on-climate-change-1.2034547
Arab News Outlets frequently blame major weather disasters on Western CO2 emissions. The terrorist Osama Bin Laden on several occasions raised historic US CO2 emissions as another reason to hate – he saw Western pre-occupation with climate as an opportunity to destabilise the West.
I’m not suggesting Gulf News and their sponsors are intentionally seeking to use the Paris Treaty as a means to sabotage US fossil fuel interests, to help promote their own exports. But it seems more than a little hypocritical for a news outlet with strong connections to the UAE government, substantial exporters of oil, to be criticising someone elses contribution to CO2 emissions.
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I lived in Abu Dubai, UAE for five years and this all makes sense from their point of view. I can state with confidence that they are not planning to back out of oil and gas development and marketing anytime soon (not as long as they have resources to sell), but it would certainly assist them in preserving their lavish lifestyle if the US agrees to commit economic suicide by locking in its own petroleum reserves and building a power system based on unreliable and expensive solar and wind generation.
On reflection, it might not be such a bad idea to “lock in” our petroleum reserves to some extent. Whoever pumps the last barrel of oil is going to be king of the hill; it might as well be US.
I note the UAE is investing heavily in nuclear and renewables:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/01/uae-invest-163b-renewable-energy-projects-170110160613154.html
The UAE is now in fact a natural gas importer…
http://www.irena.org/menu/index.aspx?mnu=Subcat&PriMenuID=36&CatID=141&SubcatID=561
“Since 2010, rising natural gas prices in the UAE have combined with rapidly falling technology costs for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, in particular. This has made renewables a competitive option for power generation in the UAE – an oil exporter, but increasingly an importer of natural gas. Wind power and waste-to-energy conversion have also become economic with natural gas prices above USD 8 per million British thermal units (mBtu). These recent developments create financial reasons for the country to accelerate its renewable energy deployment beyond the existing targets in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other emirates.”
That makes sense for their own electricity generation. But they will not stop pumping oil to sell abroad, as the UAE would be penniless otherwise. (By the way, Al Jazeera is owned and operated by the OPEC dictatorship of Qatar, so do not expect them to be impartial.)
“Climate change” has always been about enriching those who are inside the movement. Big oil stands to gain massively from “climate change” treaties and laws…..at the expense of consumers of course.
Absurdly transparent. Current OPEC strategy of cutting production to boost oil price is failing as shale oil producers keep cutting costs and stealing market share. So now they ask POTUS to help by effectively taxing the US shale producers in the name of shaving 0.1 degree off global temperatures by 2100. Maybe.
Gulf News should lead the way on reducing CO2 emissions by going out of business. Arab countries can help to by banning all fossil fuel related opperations in their countries. They can go back to living the way their ancestors did.
“Gulf News Demands USA Submit to the Paris Agreement”
Or what?
They will stamp their feet. Then you’ll be sorry.
Oh no!! Not that!!
Trump meets with Climate Skeptic EPA chief Scott Pruitt one last time before Paris “decision” (which has probably already been made): http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/trump-meets-with-pruitt-on-paris-deal/article/2624466
It’s pretty much in the bag now. Paris is done. Kaput. Fini.
I hope so but won’t believe it until the fat lady sings.
I honestly have no respect or trust for any so called “news” media right now.
China coal use up 9.9% in last 12mos. India has 50 GW of ultra-mega coal plants in pipeline. Same story in South Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia. E. Europe backing out of Paris obligations. W. Europe and coastal Americans still in active denial of Islamic invasion and Climate shakedown. Nanny states committing assisted suicide via heinous governance.
India has been cancelling ultra mega plants – e.g:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/india-cancels-huge-coal-power-station-renewable-energy-solar-power-gujarat-a7741801.html
china’s coal consumption had declined up to end of 2016…
http://www.wri.org/blog/2017/01/china%E2%80%99s-decline-coal-consumption-drives-global-slowdown-emissions
The Paris Agreement is our best hope yet in preventing irrevocable environmental damage and all must adhere to its limits.
Best hope? … Preventing irrevocable environmental damage? The Paris agreement offers little hope — a fraction of a degree at best, and at a ridiculously high price tag that robs money from solving REAL problems. Overblown disaster rhetoric without causal foundation is fake politics and fake science.
… utterly unfounded statements in just the few paragraphs that I read. … didn’t even click to the link to read more, because like the Paris agreement, it would be a waste of effort.
‘Irrevocable damage’ is being done to their oil cartel environment… and all must adhere to their production limits and inflated prices!
Those idiots took the climate scam bait hook and sinker. They need therapy to undo all the brainwashing that was done to them by Al Gore and his minions. They still sit on huge oil reserves and if they continue their stupidity they will be ridding camels in the snow before they know it… Hell, they already have been riding camels in the snow this winter but still failed to see they have been taken for a ride. They really have a serious problem.
Global Warming in the Emirates this winter: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/uae-snowfall-arctic-winds-temperatures-sub-zero-dubai-abu-dhabi-united-arab-emirates-a7564591.html