We must break the power of lobbying and donations
The fossil fuel industry will never cooperate to bring about their own demise. Rather they seek to prolong and maximise their fossil fuel production, disregarding the ever-more-apparent risks that their emissions are producing. They cloak the need for emissions reduction in the panacea of carbon capture and storage – a technology with limited application and little proven success.
The IPCC made clear, in its final report, that no new fossil fuel projects can be authorised. This decree, in Australia, seems to have energised the industry to push for authorisation of major new gas projects. The Future Gas Strategy is a testament to the powers of lobbying and political donations.
The fossil fuel lobbyists and donors may persuade government, but they do not change the science. Our environment is changing rapidly now; Ian Dunlop provides valuable insights into the physical consequences that this looks likely to bring. As these consequences begin to cascade onto our benighted world people may finally accept the IPCC’s wisdom. But by then it may be too late, as irreversible tipping points will have been crossed.
Substantial reform of political lobbying and political donations will be key to addressing the climate crisis effectively.