African nations expected to make case for big rise in fossil fuel output
By Paul Homewood
From the Guardian:
Leaders of African countries are likely to use the next UN climate summit in November to push for massive new investment in fossil fuels in Africa, according to documents seen by the Guardian.
New exploration for gas, and the exploitation of Africa’s vast reserves of oil, would make it close to impossible for the world to limit global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
However, soaring gas prices have made the prospect of African supplies even more attractive, and developed countries, including EU members, have indicated they would support such developments in the current gas shortage.
The Guardian has seen a technical document prepared by the African Union, comprising most of Africa’s states, for the “second extraordinary session of the specialised technical committee on transport, transcontinental and interregional infrastructure and energy committee”, a meeting of energy ministers that took place by video conference from 14 to 16 June.
The five-page document, and accompanying 25-page explanation, indicates that many African countries favour a common position that would inform their negotiating stance at the Cop27 UN climate summit, scheduled for this November in Egypt, which would entail pushing for an expansion of fossil fuel production across the continent.
The document states: “In the short to medium term, fossil fuels, especially natural gas will have to play a crucial role in expanding modern energy access in addition to accelerating the uptake of renewables.”
How dare these Africans want the same benefits from fossil fuels that the West has had?
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NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
The most frightening thing about the UK is that we are so convinced that fossil fuels presage the end of the world as we know it that we will not help Africa exploit its own resources. Hence they turn to China! And when they next need help of any kind, they will ignore us and go to China first.
That is going to be a big help for our economy and our standing in the world…
If they don’t get investment and technology from the west they can simply get it from China in return for supplying China with oil. I worked in the Middle East for years and countries were already doing these sorts of direct deals – exploration, drilling and transport all by Chinese companies – and cutting out the open market and western oil companies completely.
“close to impossible for the world to limit global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.”
Of course, this statement has as much credibility as my self-identification as the Royal Ballet’s next Prima Ballerina. (Even if I’m a stout 75 year old.)
MB:
If you look at the Beer-Lambert Law as Guy Callendar did in 1938 you will see that more CO2 would cause limited warming. At a rough look about 0.7℃ at 600 p.p.m. (and that’s assuming no other effects).
So all the hysteria will end with them claiming “See, we slowed Global Warming” even if they didn’t make any reductions at all.
Callendar, as an engineer, knew a lot about thermodynamics, which makes him unique among the Global Warming claque.
Q: How on Earth can reliable predictions be made of the planet’s temperature many years hence?
A: by coating the predictor’s tongue with snake oil!
Irrespective of UN, they will do it with BRICSplus help. Just another wedge between the west and the RoW.
I dare say that the CCP will happily assist African countries in the exploitation of this resource, should we follow Greta’s instructions on this matter
Why do Africans need approval?
Good question!
What we should be all doing is to invest in African development anyway. Unfortunately, the climate budgets are too much of an opportunity for the many petty-depots to exploit with no benefit to the country, as has been so frequently the case historically.
The most obvious and simple investment that would benefit all parties is further development of the cane sugar industry, and other agricultural areas that countries north of the tropics cannot farm. Climate change investment is a total red-herring.
“There is plenty of opportunity for renewable energy in Africa, but countries need help to construct the infrastructure.”
What was that project by a bunch of “Green” do-gooders that set up an “unreliables” scheme in Africa somewhere that failed miserably because the victims wanted “real electricity”, not the weather-dependent variety?
India I think
I remember a project where they set up a small solar farm with a diesel backup for one of the villages in Africa somewhere but it stopped producing pretty quickly. When they went back to investigate they found the panels and the generator had been stolen and “nobody knew who had done it”
No doubt the UK will buy oil, coal and gas from these African countries (and good luck to them selling it) while smugly proclaiming how green it is by refusing to extract the stuff under our feet.
At least Africa still has some politicians with sanity. We need more “fossil fuel” investment worlwide.
close to impossible for the world to limit global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
Africa won’t get much hotter than it already is, so that’s not going to scare them.
Cop27??? I thought Cop26 was the last chance to save the planet. How many of these Cop’s are there going to be?
I suppose that while the great and good can fly around in their private jets and get 5 star treatment then the circus will continue.
Cops and Robbers will continue ad infinitum, each one more scary than the last.
In 2009, IPCC chairman Pachauri was boasting about how scary IPCC AR5 would be, four years down the line: “When the IPCC’s fifth assessment comes out in 2013 or 2014, there will be a major revival of interest in action that has to be taken. People are going to say, ‘My God, we are going to have to take action much faster than we had planned.”
For some great pics of Cop 26, just google “Trudeau, Truss, Cop 26” and view all.
Another Cop out.
The Guardian loves Global Heating, invented by R Betts at COP 24, Poland.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/13/global-heating-more-accurate-to-describe-risks-to-planet-says-key-scientist
“Global heating” is a more accurate term than “global warming” to describe the changes taking place to the world’s climate, according to a key scientist at the UK Met Office.
Prof Richard Betts, who leads the climate research arm of Britain’s meteorological monitoring organisation, made the comments amid growing evidence that rising temperatures have passed the comfort zone and are now bringing increased threats to humanity.
“Global heating is technically more correct because we are talking about changes in the energy balance of the planet,” the scientist said at the UN climate summit in Katowice, Poland. “We should be talking about risk rather than uncertainty.”
He doesn’t want to talk about uncertainty, because that would blow the whole house of cards apart. Wiki says he is an editor for the International Journal of Global Warming, the Journal of Environmental Investing, and for Earth System Dynamics.
It’s not as if he doesn’t have a horse in the race.
.. Or indeed what China already has and plans to increase?