This year’s COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, has already seen contrarian opinions shared that go against the supposed narrative that world leaders are to be striving to reduce dependency on oil and gas, but rather transition to more ‘sustainable’ energy sources. The host country’s President Ilham Aliyev instead declared oil and gas a “gift from God” and derided Western media for perpetuating the idea that those resources are bad.
Al Jazeera reported:
Aliyev asserted that Azerbaijan has faced a “campaign of slander and blackmail” amid calls to boycott the summit due to its reliance on fossil fuels.
He accused Western “fake media” – especially from the US – and environmental organizations of running the campaign.
The president of the oil and gas-rich country argued, as he had in the months preceding the summit, that nations should not be judged based on their natural resources and how they use them.
“Quote me that I said that this is a gift of God, and I want to repeat it today here at this audience,” Aliyev said, having used a similar line in April.
The president said the tens of thousands of registered participants in the summit, among them many heads of state, are “bad news” for the critics.
Figures from the International Energy Agency show that oil and gas account for about 90% of Azerbaijan’s exports.
“Fake news media of the country which is (the) number one oil and gas producer in the world and produces 30 times more oil than Azerbaijan, call us ‘petrostate’,” Aliyev said. “They better look at themselves.”
He also took aim at “so-called independent NGOs and some politicians, as if (they) were competing in spreading disinformation and false information about our country”.
The president repeated accusations of hypocrisy against critics in the West, which he pointed out continues to buy Azeri gas.
Europe has raised its purchases as it seeks to reduce reliance on Russian supplies, in a bid to both boost energy security and limit funding for Moscow’s war machine.
No country should be blamed “for bringing natural resources to the market, because the market needs them,” Aliyev asserted.
Aliyev is not alone in sharing this sentiment. Last year’s COP28 was held Dubai, and President Sultan al-Jaber also denounced claims by the West that reducing oil production would fight climate change and lower global temperatures.
In the lead-up to the event, a Zoom call during a live online event on November 21st for the She Changes Climate event, which depicts al-Jaber arguing with Mary Robinson, the chair of the Elders group and a former UN special envoy for climate change, where the president of the event questioned the repeated calls that phasing-out fossil fuels would reduce the earth’s temperature by 1.5 degrees.
Al Jaber is also the chief executive of the United Arab Emirates’ state oil company, Adnoc, which many climate activists see as a contradiction and conflict of interest.
Robinson contended that not only is climate change such a devastating thing, it is also adversely affecting women and young children. The Guardian highlighted this leaked conversion in a report:
“We’re in an absolute crisis that is hurting women and children more than anyone … and it’s because we have not yet committed to phasing out fossil fuel. That is the one decision that Cop28 can take and in many ways, because you’re head of Adnoc, you could actually take it with more credibility.”
Al Jaber said: “I accepted to come to this meeting to have a sober and mature conversation. I’m not in any way signing up to any discussion that is alarmist. There is no science out there, or no scenario out there, that says that the phase-out of fossil fuel is what’s going to achieve 1.5C.”
Robinson challenged him further, saying: “I read that your company is investing in a lot more fossil fuel in the future.” Al Jaber responded: “You’re reading your own media, which is biased and wrong. I am telling you I am the man in charge.”
Al Jaber then said: “Please help me, show me the roadmap for a phase-out of fossil fuel that will allow for sustainable socioeconomic development, unless you want to take the world back into caves.”
“I don’t think [you] will be able to help solve the climate problem by pointing fingers or contributing to the polarisation and the divide that is already happening in the world. Show me the solutions. Stop the pointing of fingers. Stop it,” Al Jaber said.
The President would eventually try to walk back some of the statements once the summit commenced, but by then his true feelings were already reverberating around the world.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
Aliyev’s remarks about Western hypocrisy are absolutely credible and true, but will not get reported or discussed in Western media.
The WinePress thoroughly documented earlier this year that under President Biden, oil and LNG production, exports and profits tripled, which totally contradicts his and Democrats’ claims of going green and renewable; while at the same time disproving President Trump and the GOP’s claims that Biden was hurting the oil industry and his regulatory measures were contributing to inflation and Trump would bring down inflation by pumping even more oil. SEE: The Big Oil Lie: How Oil Profits Tripled Under Biden, But Both Parties Refuse To Acknowledge Them As Trump Promises To ‘Drill, Baby, Drill.’ *Update*
And just recently Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Union, announced that they would be buying oil and gas from the United States – at four times the price they were before they were trading with Russia, and before the Nord Stream pipeline was destroyed, causing energy prices to climb even higher.
The hypocrisy never ceases.
Proverbs 11:9 An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.
Oil and gas are not going away anytime soon. The elites may strip it out of the hands of the average Joe for means of control, but these commodities will continue to be traded and sold, business as usual; and only the “useful idiots” in the West who believe this stuff, and are not privy to the business, are left thinking they are striving for something greater but are rather just expendable.
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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Oil will never stop until the return of the LORD JESUS
Daniel yes, it is true that oil won’t go away for a long time, but by the time the Lord Jesus comes back people in the time of Jacobs trouble will be riding on horseback (read in Revelation) not a tank because the Lord will destroy it.
I’m not correcting you to be rude but if you are a brother in Christ, then I’m correcting you out of love as a brother.
Proverbs 11:19 KJV As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.
These elites won’t get fare because God will destroy them (Revelation 11:18 KJV).