Futile
As the west risks virtue-signaling itself into poverty with ambitious carbon cuts, the important emitters of the world continue unperturbed
In Q1 of 2022 alone, China approved the development of more than 8GW of new coal-fired power plants, adding to the 18GW approved in 2021.
On a balmy evening in Abu Dhabi a few years ago I found myself in a popular Italian restaurant enjoying the company of some fellow-environmental consultancy colleagues.
When the conversation turned to what I characterized as ever-restrictive energy policy decisions being made back home in the UK, I proposed the following question:
Why should Western nations, whose domestic CO2 emissions are far less than the large developing nations of Asia, and represent just a small percentage of global emissions, hinder their economies in the name of climate change?
The answer I got from one of my colleagues was precisely the one you often hear in defence of Western nations making what appear to be economic sacrifices to the climate gods.
‘Well, if the developed world do it first, it will set a good example and developing countries will follow.’
Even having heard such answers many times before, I almost choked on my ravioli.
‘Why on earth would they do that?!’ I replied.
I don’t remember too much of the sophisticated validation that would have no-doubt followed from my colleagues.
In fact, I hadn’t thought of that evening at all until I was reminded of it just a few days ago when I watched an Oxford Union debate during which comedian Konstantin Kisin made a powerful speech. In it, Kisin puts into perspective the importance that many hard-working people, from both the developed and especially the developing world, put on targets such as ‘net zero’.
The following paragraph is an excerpt from Kisin’s speech, the full nine-minute version of which can be viewed from the link beneath.
‘‘If I had a choice.. either, my son had a serious risk of starving or dying from a preventable disease in the next year, or I could press a button and he would live;
..he would go to school.. he would go to university and graduate..
..and then he’d get a job and get married and have children and become a man…
All I have to do is press this button, but for every day of my son’s life a giant plume of CO2 would be released into the atmosphere…
..Let me tell you something; there is not a parent in the world who would not smash that button so hard their hand bled.’’
Konstantin Kisin, Oxford Union 2023
Some Data…
According to OurWorldInData.org China and India combined make up approximately one third of all global carbon emissions. In fact, combined emissions from those two countries are almost the same as the entirety of the North American and European continents.
The US makes up approximately 15% of global carbon emissions. Countries like Canada and Australia make up between 1% and 2%, while the UK hovers at around the 1% mark.
It may not surprise you to hear that it’s not the economies of Asia that are leading the way in cutting back in their carbon dioxide emitting activities! On the contrary, they appear to be rapidly expanding their fossil fuel use.
For example, in Q1 of 2022 alone, China approved the development of more than 8GW of new coal-fired power plants, adding to the 18GW approved in 2021.
Moreover, the world’s 10 largest coal-fired power plants currently in operation are either in China or South Korea. Neither of these Asian, industrial powerhouses are showing any signs of following in the footsteps of their Western competition who cannot seem to ban the use of coal fast enough!
For example, in 2015 the UK had 14 operational coal-fired power plants which supplied around 30% of the nations’ total power demand. As of 2022 there were just three remaining with a combined capacity of only 3.5GW, all of which the government has pledged to close by 2024.
SO THEN WHY?!
Given the significance of the UK’s emissions in a global context (climate change is, after all, a global phenomenon), the British people are well justified to ask the simple question; ‘WHY?!’
The question is even more pertinent given the current context of many suffering through an extremely cold winter while also experiencing record energy price rises.
This situation is not unique to the UK and is repeated across many Western nations.
Moreover, it is widely acknowledged that eliminating fossil fuel use in these nations will make a negligible difference to global temperatures, even hypothetically.
So, does this Western policy of eliminating domestic fossil fuel use in the simple hope that the rest of the world will follow, really make sense?
Is it even what their populations really want?
I would tend to agree with Mr Kisin on this point.
-T