Africa Doesn’t Need Western Elites’ Meaningless Climate Policies
Africa Doesn’t Need Western Elites’ Meaningless Climate Policies
By Vijay Jayaraj
African priorities differ from those of Europe and North America. Among the Dark Continent’s most daunting challenges are poverty, malnutrition, lack of healthcare and proper education, unemployment, inferior transportation infrastructure and underdeveloped technologies for energy, information and communications.
Therefore, Africans do not have the option to adopt unscientific and unachievable climate policies that address none of these issues in a serious way.
Nations on Africa’s vast continent are increasingly relying on their abundant natural resources to drive economic development. Oil and gas deposits have distinguished themselves as significant drivers of economies in several African countries.
Economic power of oil and gas
The pursuit of fossil fuel extraction is motivated by a clear economic imperative. Oil and gas production has proven to be a reliable avenue to attaining these nations’ aims of fostering industrialization, reducing poverty and raising living standards.
Globally, oil and gas exports are often major contributors to a country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Present day examples include the U.S., Russia, Norway, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar, all of which export vast amounts of hydrocarbons.
Success stories in Africa
Several African countries stand out as examples of the economic benefits generated from the exploitation of fossil fuels. These nations have leveraged their natural resources to propel their economies ahead, resulting in impressive growth and development.
Nigeria is Africa’s largest oil producer and exporter, with resulting revenues contributing significantly to projects such as construction of roads and power plants, to social services and to overall GDP. Despite problems with corruption and incompetence, Nigeria’s oil wealth has had a significant economic impact.
In Angola, oil and gas account for more than 90 percent of all exports. Crude oil exports generated nearly $40 billion in revenue in 2022, an increase of 44% from 2021. With continued progress in production and licencing, Angola aims to achieve a daily output of 1.3 million barrels in the next three years. The country’s adoption of legal provisions for oil and gas production is seen as an example for other developing oil economies in Africa.
Europe offers new market for African oil and gas
African countries now have a promising market in Europe, where governments are looking for more of the continent’s imports to compensate for loss of Russian supplies.
On September 27, amid reports of a German energy crisis and with power-starved industries facing permanent closure, the Italian government began negotiations with the German state of Bavaria to supply natural gas from Africa. Italy believes it can serve as an entry point for African energy to some European countries.
Speaking to Reuters, a former CEO of German business lobby BDI, said, “Germany is organising liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and other solutions in the north, but it is not possible to rule out delays or blocks to the infrastructure … This is the reason why southern federal states in Germany want a ‘plan B’ to be safe.”
Algeria, Libya, Egypt and eastern Mediterranean regions have been the largest contributors of oil and gas flow into Europe. Now, more countries in Africa are joining the race to feed the emerging European market.
Under construction for the past two decades, the $13 billion Trans-Saharan gas pipeline stretches 2,565 miles from Warri in southern Nigeria via Niger to Algeria’s Hassi R’Mel gas center. The pipeline would make it possible for Niger to profit from recoverable gas reserves estimated to be about 34 billion cubic meters.
The economic benefits of fossil fuel production are obvious and badly needed. Western leaders must acknowledge them and abandon efforts to force vacuous climate policies on African populations whose rewards of modernity are overdue.
This commentary was first published at Daily Caller on November 4, 2023.
Vijay Jayaraj is a Research Associate at the CO2 Coalition, Arlington, Virginia. He holds a master’s degree in environmental sciences from the University of East Anglia, UK.
COMMENT
EVs in Africa: No Place for Rich Boys Toys
Yet, governments have subsidized EVs so hugely that over 10 million were built last year, and 14 million are expected this year.
That bubble will pop in due time.
China is already limiting the export of graphite for batteries.
Musk, the world's greatest crony capitalist, has warned that EVs will double the grid demands. He is correct.
Already, Norway is using more electricity that Sweden, due to EVs and heat pumps, but with only 60% of the population.
Lars Schernikau, PhD, has shown, in a nice back-of-the-envelope calculation, the effect of plugging in the million plus EVs in Germany every night.
It is exactly what happens in Norway.
Remember, Norway is supposed to be the "battery backup" for the EU - but Norway already needs a much bigger "boat'.
There are not enough water in reservoirs, even in a good rain year, to provide the hydroelectric power required even if Norway allowed the EU to use its entire storage capacity.
That will not happen as Norway and Sweden have already demonstrated when they curtailed power sent to Europe.
In a dry year, Norway cannot even power itself; it has to apply rationing
On a personal note, I warned my sister to never park her Tesla in the garage, unless she was willing to risk burning her lovely home to the ground.
She now drives a gasoline BMW again, happily.
After all, she lives in Texas, where oil is abundant for another century.
You will have noticed the 14 million EVs this year do not include a lot of trucks and busses and heavy-duty pickups, which have been a miserable failure to date.
Even 14 million EVs is less than 10% of the annual vehicle sales globally, so 400 - 500 hundred $BILLION in subsidy annually is insufficient to get EVs on the road, and get ICEs off the road.
There is always hope that rechargeable, solid state Li-metal batteries will appear and double the energy storage of the best Li-ion battery and be infinitely rechargeable.
Is hope enough?
With the seemingly unlimited subsidy of the higher income households at the expense of the middle income class, it would seem to be perfect for the higher income folks.
W. H. Smith
Views: 18
Comment
Maine as Third World Country:
CMP Transmission Rate Skyrockets 19.6% Due to Wind Power
Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.
Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT
******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********
(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/
Not yet a member?
Sign up today and lend your voice and presence to the steadily rising tide that will soon sweep the scourge of useless and wretched turbines from our beloved Maine countryside. For many of us, our little pieces of paradise have been hard won. Did the carpetbaggers think they could simply steal them from us?
We have the facts on our side. We have the truth on our side. All we need now is YOU.
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
-- Mahatma Gandhi
"It's not whether you get knocked down: it's whether you get up."
Vince Lombardi
Task Force membership is free. Please sign up today!
Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law
Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future
"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."
https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/
© 2024 Created by Webmaster.
Powered by
You need to be a member of Citizens' Task Force on Wind Power - Maine to add comments!
Join Citizens' Task Force on Wind Power - Maine