By Nick Nuttall of We Don't Have Time
Over 40 years of innovation that could have delivered a far greener, global shipping and aviation industry, has been lost as a result of fossil fuel subsidies and weak regulation, a leading expert has told viewers on the latest episode of the Dino Talks. Assaad W. Razzouk, Chief Executive Officer of Gurīn Energy and a top podcaster under the pseudonym ‘The Angry Clean Energy Guy’, also cited years of lobbying by the oil, gas and coal companies as a third, potent factor that has muddied the waters towards sustainable aviation and shipping.
“I would suggest we have lost 4 decades of innovation in electric engines, batteries and hydrogen technologies that are applicable to both these major global industries because of the impact of these fossil fuel subsidies,” said Mr Razzouk, who was speaking on the 6th episode of a ten part series presented by We Don’t Have Time and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
He said the snail’s pace change towards cutting emissions and pollution is also compounded by the weak regulation of the two UN agencies that oversee these sectors: namely the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Maritime Organization.
“They have no teeth, so you have the perfect environment for these industries to do nothing,” added Mr Razzouk.
He said the third drag were the fossil fuel companies who are big beneficiaries from fossil fuel subsidies, currently estimated by the International Monetary Fund as totalling over $6 trillion a year and set to rise, rather than fall, in 2023.
“Just 5 oil companies spend $200 million a year on lobbying-- or what any reasonably person should call propaganda. And what that does is work against action by obfuscating the debate that leads to a push back on the electrification of transportation,” underlined Mr Razzouk.
He said finally there was change in the wind, with now around 100 different electric plane projects underway around the world.
But added that it will take some years for these to come to fruition and that “as long as we still have fossil fuel subsidies, the obfuscation and the delaying tactics of vested interests, will also be happening”.
Mr Razzouk, who was joined on episode 6 of the Dino Talks by Andreas Follér, Head of Sustainability at the truck and bus company Scania, said if the world rid itself of fossil fuel subsidies it would single-handedly cut greenhouse gas emissions by over 35 per cent, according to the International Energy Agency.
It would also cut around 2.2 million of the estimated 5 million deaths a year linked with air pollution caused by the burning of oil, coal and gas.
“So fossil fuel subsidies are not some conceptual framework. They actually kill people,” said Mr Razzouk.
He said they were also pernicious, their reach into the economy and society often not well understood and cited the use of bunker fuel by shipping as a case in point.
“Bunker fuel is the dirtiest fuel possible, about 100 times worse than diesel. It is also a waste product of the refining process which is a hidden subsidy benefiting the oil and gas industry. Because if shipping was not using it, the oil and gas industry would have to dispose of it safely which would cost them 100s of billions of dollars,” said Mr Razzouk.
He said the time had come for citizens world-wide to protest the absurdity of fossil fuel subsidies or “we are staring a temperature rise of not 1.5 degrees C but 2 or 3 degrees in our lifetime”.
Overall Mr Razzouk believes the world has almost all the technology and innovation needed to tackle dangerous climate change, but the speed and scale of action was now the limiting factor to success.
To watch episode 6 on fossil fuel subsidies with co moderators Nick Nuttall and Cassie Flynn of UNDP, go here
https://youtu.be/jXisAl7NKHU
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Great article. These subsidies need to end ASAP.
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Well written article! Hope speed and scale of action limiting alot will be overtaken by the technology and innovations at hand.
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Great article Nick! We must share this widely. People don't understand how much valuable time we have lost and are still losing because of the fossil fuel subsidies.