A shocking report reveals that major companies are actively resisting government efforts to create a cleaner environment.
what's happening?
The Guardian reported earlier this month that the oil industry has been trying to counter government support for clean technology for “more than half a century.” The analysis reportedly found that oil industry companies had “lobbied lawmakers to block support for low-carbon technologies such as solar panels, electric vehicles and heat pumps dating back to the 1960s.” . Industry groups in the United States and Europe pretend to be “technology neutral,” but in reality they are stifling green innovation and avoiding the harms of burning fuel.
If that wasn't bad enough, major companies have relied on government subsidies to support their business models. Dario Kenner, a visiting researcher at the University of Sussex, “examined decades of public statements from the American Petroleum Institute (API) and Fuel Europe'' and found that these companies continue to benefit from government support while fighting oil cleanup. told the Guardian. planet.
“It's clearly hypocritical to call for technological neutrality when you are technologically dominant,” he said.
Sheila Stanton, a member of the campaign group Beyond Fossil Fuels, called the revelations “outrageous but frankly not surprising” and accused the companies of dishonest behavior.
“It has been proven that the fossil fuel industry caused the climate crisis and deliberately lied by hiding the science,” she said. “So they knew that renewable energy was such a threat to their industry that they had to push policymakers to rig the market against cleaner, cheaper technologies to protect their profits. It is only natural that it turns out that this was not the case.”
Why is this important?
“We uncovered dozens of examples in which the oil industry is pressuring governments to curb support for renewable energy, limit funding for clean technology development, and weaken environmental regulations,” Kenner said. It is reported that. [favored] These companies minimally address the damage their fuels cause to people and the planet.
Several companies have said they will invest in clean energy projects amid growing pressure from climate change activists, but a November report from the International Energy Agency found that oil and gas companies accounted for a smaller share of clean energy investments. It was revealed that only 1% of The IEA called the sector a “marginal force at best” in terms of contributing to a cleaner environment.
“They, as part of industry associations and lobbying groups, are intentionally trying to undermine the technology that people want to invest in,” Kenner said.
These practices are examples of greenwashing, and you can learn more about them in this guide.
What can we do about this?
API and FuelsEurope claim they are working to reduce fuel pollution, but big companies need to do more to clean up the planet.
The IEA report states that “to meet the Paris Agreement's goals to prevent global warming, oil and gas producers will need to spend 20 times more capital on clean energy, up from 2.5% in 2022 to 2030. It is expected to increase to 50% in 2020. According to the Guardian, by the end of this century, global warming will be 1.5C (2.7F) above pre-industrial levels.
You can make a difference by supporting policymakers who are committed to implementing clean technology, regardless of external pressure from the corporate world.
Join our free newsletter cool news and practical information it will be easier Please eat it. While helping the planet.
