BRICS’ Kazan Declaration Trumps COP29 Climate Blather

By Vijay Jayaraj

Gathering in the Russian city of Kazan and hosted by that country’s “alienated and sanctioned” leader Vladimir Putin, the heads of some of the world’s most powerful nations made clear that the so-called climate emergency was a secondary priority for them.

Attendees of the 16th annual BRICS summit represented more than 45% of the global population and 35% of global gross domestic product and included representatives of Saudi Arabia, China, India, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates.

The Kazan declaration they signed builds upon their already strong economic and diplomatic ties under the BRICS framework established in 2009 and expanded since then. However, most mainstream media didn’t notice—or intentionally underreported—that the core BRICS countries – including India, China and Russia – have openly declared that their domestic energy needs and economic wellbeing will take precedence over international climate agreements like the Paris Accords and “net zero” initiatives.

Interestingly, powerful leaders from these BRICS countries—such as China’s Xi Jinping and India’s Narendra Modi—are absent this week from the ongoing COP29 – the U.N.’s annual climate gathering. Only a third of the way through the 11-day COP29, the 80-person Argentinian delegation was called home, adding to the notion that the U.N. summit is little more than an overblown gabfest that produces nothing of substance.

“The departure of Argentina from the global climate talks COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, adds to concerns about the global climate fight, following the reelection of climate crisis sceptic Donald Trump, reported Sky News.

In hindsight, the meeting at Kazan could be seen as a foretelling of such doubts about the standing of the popular climate narrative. However, CNBC’s summary of the event—which supposedly lists key takeaways—completely ignored this critical aspect, despite representing a considerable portion of the declaration’s wording.

The mainstream media was silent as their “green” fantasy was disintegrating right in front of their eyes at Kazan.

A superficial glance at the Kazan agreement would lead one to believe that the BRICS consortium stands with the global climate movement and committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the energy and transportation sectors.

For instance, there are laudatory words about the Paris agreement, noting a “critical need for active climate adaptation projects.”

However, a closer look reveals that these nations—many of them still early in their development as modern societies—are in no mood to compromise on their national energy security and the use of fossil fuels.

At the heart of the declaration lies a fundamental truth that the Western climate industrial complex often refuses to recognize: Access to affordable and reliable energy and economic development cannot be sacrificed at the altar of “decarbonization” if people are to thrive.

The Kazan declaration’s emphasis on “technological neutrality” is particularly telling. By explicitly endorsing the use of “all available fuels, energy sources and technologies,” including fossil fuels with abatement technologies, BRICS nations have effectively rejected the notion of a rapid phase-out of conventional energy sources.

The declaration says that “energy security, access and energy transitions are important and need to be balanced …” In other words—in a style similar to that of the original Nationally Determined Contribution documents of India in 2017—domestic energy needs will be prioritized ahead of emission reductions.

It also calls for an uninterrupted energy supply chain, underscoring the importance of affordable energy – something that only fossil fuels can provide to countries with high poverty rates.

The declaration notes the “necessity for resilient global supply chains and stable, predictable energy demand in order to provide universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy sources as well as to ensure national, global and regional energy security.”

Directly challenging the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the Kazan statement labels such levies as “unilateral, punitive and discriminatory protectionist measures.” This is a rejection of the EU’s attempt to export its climate policies through trade.

Most of the components for solar energy systems come from China, which produces 80% of the globe’s solar panels. Because coal still dominates the Chinese energy mix, Western nations buying Chinese solar panels are effectively outsourcing their carbon dioxide emissions while claiming progress toward net-zero goals. It is all illogical.

The BRICS leaders emphasize that their immediate goals — poverty eradication, infrastructure development, and economic expansion — require a secure and stable energy supply.

The Kazan declaration isn’t just a political statement; it signals a new era in global climate-energy politics. Emerging economies will no longer be distracted from their pursuit of prosperity and are departing from the currently dominant U.N. climate frameworks.

At some point, the legacy media will wake up – or not.

This commentary was first published at BizPac Review on November 15, 2024.

Vijay Jayaraj is a Science and Research Associate at the CO₂ Coalition, Arlington, Virginia. He 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’s in engineering from Anna University, India.