Cut Fossil Fuel

Parmeshwar Devkota

Our forefathers used to predict weather and rainfall by looking up at the sky and make plan for farming and other daily activities accordingly. Though we have technologies to learn the environmental changes, today we cannot exactly forecast the extent of damage floods or landslides or cyclones could cause. The people of rich countries can mitigate the adversity and their nations are also able to work promptly in the crisis situations. But we, the people of developing countries, have to face the impact of climate change for a long time.

The issue of climate change is still new for us. The western industrial nations are primarily responsible for it as they account for the largest amount of the greenhouse emissions generated globally. Since 1750, the British Empire started producing textiles and iron and invented the steam engine as well as other technologies by putting a ban on the local productions.  

Nepal, India, China and other countries in Asia, and many nations in Africa were self-sufficient before the Industrial Revolution. It banned looms and other traditional systems of textile and food productions and opted for mass production of various goods to meet the need of global consumers. It began selling goods and amenities and services without bargaining as a sole dealer and distributor. Fossil fuels available in abundance played vital part to amplify the production. 

As a result, the British people became immensely rich with the use of fossil fuel and cheap labour. The inventions of locomotives, cars, freezers and other types of equipment began producing chlorofluorocarbons, chemicals and fluorine which began heating the environment.  

Up to the 20th century, developed countries hardly heard the issue of climate change and its impact on human life. As campaigners and international organisations highlighted the issue, the rich nations agreed to hold meetings at various levels. Under the leadership of the United Nations, the landmark Paris climate agreement was concluded and almost all the nations expressed their commitment either to reducing or ending the use of fossil fuel by 2050. 

Denmark decided to stop using oil and gases in the North Sea by 2050 and cancelled its licensing to produce fossil fuels. Japan pledged a $19 billion fund to promote ecological business and innovations for the future generations. The speech delivered by US Secretary General Antonio Guterres at Columbia University recently has indicated a severity of climate change impact. He said, “The state of the planet is broken and the humanity is waging war on nature’’. 

Accepting the impact of climate change, Britain launched a carbon capture and storage project. It disseminated the news with priority that the project would create tens of thousands of jobs. But, scientists say that the project is like a juice box straw to suck the water of the sea. They add that the rich countries are creating false hopes which ultimately will not reduce fossil fuel use in the long-run.  

An AFP reporter David Mac Dougall reported recently that the British government is granting at least a hundred new licenses for fossil oil and gas exploration and production in the North Sea. Jamie Livingstone of Oxfam says that the Britain plan is a ‘short-sighted and selfish decision’, which, ‘flies in the face of climate science and common sense’.