{"id":81436,"date":"2023-07-31T06:00:04","date_gmt":"2023-07-30T20:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=81436"},"modified":"2023-07-30T15:35:37","modified_gmt":"2023-07-30T05:35:37","slug":"ideology-must-give-way-to-practicality-in-clean-energy-transition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/ideology-must-give-way-to-practicality-in-clean-energy-transition\/","title":{"rendered":"Ideology must give way to practicality in clean-energy transition"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

Recent climate negotiations have been heated, to say the least. Beyond the usual recriminations over financing, the choice of\u00a0Sultan Al Jaber\u2014chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company\u2014as the president of the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in the United Arab Emirates has fuelled considerable controversy.<\/p>\n

But if the world is to make genuine progress on climate change, the engagement of both the oil and gas industry and the Gulf region is essential. In that sense, COP28 could be a real game-changer\u2014if the rest of the world manages to set dogma aside and focus on finding common ground.<\/p>\n

This message is particularly important for the European Union, whose approach to climate change has often been characterised by a self-defeating combination of ideology, hubris and tunnel vision. While the EU has made\u00a0important progress<\/a>\u00a0in reducing its carbon footprint and improving energy efficiency, it has failed to devise a\u00a0common energy framework<\/a>, thereby undermining both energy security and, ironically, sustainability.<\/p>\n

This became starkly apparent after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when European countries had to scramble for alternative energy supplies. Germany\u00a0resorted<\/a>\u00a0to burning coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel. Now, the EU is being forced to reassess the practicality of some of its green initiatives, including a\u00a0law banning the sale of diesel- and gas-powered cars<\/a>\u00a0by 2035 and the\u00a0nature restoration law<\/a>, a key component of the European Green Deal.<\/p>\n

Moreover, though the EU has established itself as a global standard-setter in the green transition, it overestimates the extent to which its green philosophy resonates with the rest of the world. This is especially true for non-OECD countries, which bristle at the notion that they should make a direct leap from energy poverty to fully renewable and decarbonised consumption.<\/p>\n

These countries contributed little to the climate crisis and now face the immense challenge of delivering economic opportunities to\u00a0fast-growing populations<\/a>. They can hardly be expected to\u00a0prioritise<\/a>\u00a0sustainability over growth and development. Where they do contribute to the green transition\u2014and pursue related imperatives like climate-change adaptation\u2014they should be receiving generous funding from the rich world.<\/p>\n

But such support is currently falling far short of what\u2019s needed. It\u2019s\u00a0estimated<\/a>\u00a0that if emerging and developing economies are to have any chance of reaching net-zero emissions, their annual clean-energy investments must reach roughly US$2.8 trillion by the early 2030s. That is more than triple the US$770 billion delivered in 2022.<\/p>\n

In 2021,\u00a0net transfers from official loans<\/a>\u00a0to the developing world amounted to just US$38 billion. The US$100 billion in annual climate financing that high-income countries\u00a0pledged<\/a>\u00a0in 2009 to deliver by 2020 never materialised. Instead, some donors have begun\u00a0imposing<\/a>\u00a0green conditionality on foreign aid and loans. Meanwhile, Europe has continued to make up its own energy shortfalls with gas, often from countries such as Senegal or Mozambique, to which it has denied financing for anything other than renewable energy.<\/p>\n

If COP28 is to be a success, such green idealism and hypocrisy must be replaced by a clear-eyed agenda that considers the broad range of interests at play. Only by recognising the needs and goals of all relevant actors can we hope to make green initiatives sustainable and accelerate the energy transition.<\/p>\n

A more realistic approach to the oil and gas sector is also needed. For starters, there\u2019s no getting around the fact that, for now, it remains essential to energy access and security. As a recent International Energy Agency report\u00a0argues<\/a>, only continued investment in the oil and gas industry can ensure that the world\u2019s oil and gas supply doesn\u2019t fall faster than demand.<\/p>\n

But the IEA also notes that the industry should be investing in reducing the emissions intensity of its operations. In fact, reducing the oil and gas industry\u2019s emissions\u2014such as by eliminating all non-emergency flaring and expanding the use of low-emissions hydrogen in refineries\u2014is one of the most cost-effective approaches to reducing total global emissions and limiting near-term global warming. Oil companies\u2014beginning with those owned by states\u2014should commit to tangible, verifiable emissions-reduction goals.<\/p>\n

But oil and gas companies have an even greater role to play in the green transition. Energy firms have a global reach, a high-risk appetite, substantial financial resources and established connections with energy stakeholders such as buyers and regulators. They also have considerable expertise in offshore projects, hydrogen production and transporting fuel. All of these strengths can be leveraged to advance sustainability-related objectives.<\/p>\n

Firms like the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company have already\u00a0made progress<\/a>\u00a0not only in lowering their carbon intensity, but also in contributing to development. Saudi Aramco\u2019s US$500 million\u00a0corporate venture fund<\/a>\u00a0to back renewables and energy-efficient technologies is also a step in the right direction. But much more needs to be done.<\/p>\n

To encourage the private sector\u2014and not just oil and gas companies\u2014to invest more in emissions reduction, we must make better use of carbon pricing and cross-border emissions-trading schemes. But such efforts must account for differences in energy needs and priorities, and avoid unrealistic expectations for renewables.<\/p>\n

A one-size-fits-all approach would be neither fair nor effective. Each country must be able to strike its own balance between sustainability, security and cost-effectiveness. The EU, for its part, needs a new framework for climate action that reflects a more practical, global perspective\u2014one with the broad appeal that will be essential to make real progress on climate change.<\/p>\n

The world cannot afford to prioritise ideology over pragmatism. A just green transition will be possible only with a sober, balanced approach that accounts for each country\u2019s energy and development needs. If COP28 is to yield meaningful progress, we must stop squabbling and start recognising what various actors\u2014including the oil and gas industry\u2014can bring to the table.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recent climate negotiations have been heated, to say the least. Beyond the usual recriminations over financing, the choice of\u00a0Sultan Al Jaber\u2014chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company\u2014as the president of the upcoming United …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1658,"featured_media":81439,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[283,2301,325,1153,2464],"class_list":["post-81436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-climate-change","tag-emissions","tag-europe","tag-gas","tag-renewable-energy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIdeology must give way to practicality in clean-energy transition | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/ideology-must-give-way-to-practicality-in-clean-energy-transition\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ideology must give way to practicality in clean-energy transition | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Recent climate negotiations have been heated, to say the least. Beyond the usual recriminations over financing, the choice of\u00a0Sultan Al Jaber\u2014chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company\u2014as the president of the upcoming United ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/ideology-must-give-way-to-practicality-in-clean-energy-transition\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ASPI.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-07-30T20:00:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-07-30T05:35:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/GettyImages-52204994.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"686\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ana Palacio\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ana Palacio\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/\",\"name\":\"The Strategist\",\"description\":\"ASPI's analysis and commentary site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/ideology-must-give-way-to-practicality-in-clean-energy-transition\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/GettyImages-52204994.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/GettyImages-52204994.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":686,\"caption\":\"FILE PHOTO: GRANGEMOUTH, SCOTLAND - NOVEMBER 1: BP's Huge oil refinery complex continues it's 24 hour production of petroleum and gas, November 1, 2004 at Grangemouth in central Scotland. The landmark kYOTO TREATY requiring cuts in gas emissions causing global warming took effect 16 February with support of 141 nations, with the United States and Australia holding out saying the harm to their economies would be too great. (Photo by Christopher Furlong\/Getty Images)\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/ideology-must-give-way-to-practicality-in-clean-energy-transition\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/ideology-must-give-way-to-practicality-in-clean-energy-transition\/\",\"name\":\"Ideology must give way to practicality in clean-energy transition | The Strategist\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/ideology-must-give-way-to-practicality-in-clean-energy-transition\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-07-30T20:00:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-07-30T05:35:37+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/1e3ff3317b9c146146fb723463d39639\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/ideology-must-give-way-to-practicality-in-clean-energy-transition\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/ideology-must-give-way-to-practicality-in-clean-energy-transition\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/ideology-must-give-way-to-practicality-in-clean-energy-transition\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Ideology must give way to practicality in clean-energy transition\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/1e3ff3317b9c146146fb723463d39639\",\"name\":\"Ana Palacio\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/165a34fd0c94f73988da6a21f16ace71?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/165a34fd0c94f73988da6a21f16ace71?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Ana Palacio\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/author\/ana-palacio\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ideology must give way to practicality in clean-energy transition | The Strategist","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/ideology-must-give-way-to-practicality-in-clean-energy-transition\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ideology must give way to practicality in clean-energy transition | The Strategist","og_description":"Recent climate negotiations have been heated, to say the least. Beyond the usual recriminations over financing, the choice of\u00a0Sultan Al Jaber\u2014chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company\u2014as the president of the upcoming United ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/ideology-must-give-way-to-practicality-in-clean-energy-transition\/","og_site_name":"The Strategist","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ASPI.org","article_published_time":"2023-07-30T20:00:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-07-30T05:35:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":686,"url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/GettyImages-52204994.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ana Palacio","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ASPI_org","twitter_site":"@ASPI_org","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ana Palacio","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/","name":"The Strategist","description":"ASPI's analysis and commentary site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/ideology-must-give-way-to-practicality-in-clean-energy-transition\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/GettyImages-52204994.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/GettyImages-52204994.jpg","width":1024,"height":686,"caption":"FILE PHOTO: GRANGEMOUTH, SCOTLAND - NOVEMBER 1: BP's Huge oil refinery complex continues it's 24 hour production of petroleum and gas, November 1, 2004 at Grangemouth in central Scotland. The landmark kYOTO TREATY requiring cuts in gas emissions causing global warming took effect 16 February with support of 141 nations, with the United States and Australia holding out saying the harm to their economies would be too great. (Photo by Christopher Furlong\/Getty Images)"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/ideology-must-give-way-to-practicality-in-clean-energy-transition\/","url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/ideology-must-give-way-to-practicality-in-clean-energy-transition\/","name":"Ideology must give way to practicality in clean-energy transition | The Strategist","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/ideology-must-give-way-to-practicality-in-clean-energy-transition\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2023-07-30T20:00:04+00:00","dateModified":"2023-07-30T05:35:37+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/1e3ff3317b9c146146fb723463d39639"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/ideology-must-give-way-to-practicality-in-clean-energy-transition\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/ideology-must-give-way-to-practicality-in-clean-energy-transition\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/ideology-must-give-way-to-practicality-in-clean-energy-transition\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Ideology must give way to practicality in clean-energy transition"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/1e3ff3317b9c146146fb723463d39639","name":"Ana Palacio","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/165a34fd0c94f73988da6a21f16ace71?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/165a34fd0c94f73988da6a21f16ace71?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Ana Palacio"},"url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/author\/ana-palacio\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81436"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1658"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81436"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81441,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81436\/revisions\/81441"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}