<
https://www.theenergymix.com/2022/12/18/saudi-arabia-angles-to-keep-oil-at-the-centre-of-the-global-economy/>
"Saudi Arabia is building solar panels and promoting electric cars to reduce
oil consumption at home, but the kingdom has a different plan for the rest of
the world—pushing for policies that sustain and even increase oil dependence
for decades to come.
“The kingdom’s plan for keeping oil at the centre of the global economy is
playing out around the world in Saudi financial and diplomatic activities, as
well as in the realms of research, technology, and even education,” the
New
York Times reports. “It is a strategy at odds with the scientific consensus
that the world must swiftly move away from fossil fuels, including oil and gas,
to avoid the worst consequences of global warming.”
Saudi representatives and the overwhelming presence of the fossil lobby helped
push delegates at the COP 27 climate summit in Egypt to drop language
supporting a fossil fuel phaseout from the final conference statement. In
March, they attempted to remove a reference to “human-induced climate change”
from a United Nations policy document, the
Times says.
The country’s government-controlled oil company, Saudi Aramco, produces one of
every ten barrels of oil globally “and envisions a world where it will be
selling even more.”
“Saudi Aramco has become a prolific funder of research into critical energy
issues, financing almost 500 studies over the past five years, including
research aimed at keeping gasoline cars competitive or casting doubt on
electric vehicles,” the
Times writes, citing the Crossref academic database.
Aramco’s other initiatives include high-profile research projects on gasoline
engines in collaboration with the United States Department of Energy, studies
on oil recovery and production, a global network of research centres, and
US$2.5 billion poured into American universities in the past decade."
Via Muse.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
