POLITICS: Resolving the dissonance regarding fossil fuels

Op-ed views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author.

Fossil fuels are destroying our planet. Big oil is evil. Coal is an addiction. These are hyperbolic statements uttered without basis in the public square as we continue with lifestyles dependent on hydrocarbons and their derivatives.

This dissonance exists cognitively in individuals whose choices are inconsistent with their thinking. Another dissonance manifests itself as elites who are wedded to an apocalyptic climate vision fearmongering to people who are just fine with their “high-carbon lives.”

Whatever one thinks about hydrocarbons, nobody can deny the sheer ubiquity of the things produced through their use as an energy source or feedstock.

From the plastic in smartphones to the synthetic fibers in clothing, from life-saving medical equipment to the asphalt on roads, petroleum-based products are woven into the fabric of modern life. Even the components of many “green” technologies, such as solar panels and wind turbines, are made with materials derived from fossil fuels.

In a document stating that petrochemicals are the basis for more than 6,000 everyday products, the U.S. Department of Energy lists a fraction of them to make the point of their prevalence.

The success of the climate industrial complex in demonizing coal, oil and natural gas despite their enormous benefits speaks to the broadness of the alarmists’ network: career politicians, unelected international political organizations, media houses, government-funded scientists in academia and corporate CEOs addicted to subsidies. All this is fed by an education system that puts ideological indoctrination ahead of inculcation of independent thought to beget complaisant minds.

Yet, this schizophrenic relationship to hydrocarbons may not run as deeply as it sometimes seems. Despite the crescendo calling for a rapid transition to solar and wind, global consumption of fossil fuels continues to climb. That is because the alternatives are neither affordable nor dependable.

In 2023, the world set new records for hydrocarbon consumption. This trend is not limited to developing nations struggling to industrialize like China and India; it’s equally evident in some of the world’s most advanced economies.

The U.S. was the world’s largest oil producer in 2023, with an average of 12.9 million barrels per day (b/d), breaking the previous U.S. global record of 12.3 million b/d set in 2019. Norway, often hailed as a leader in environmental policy, issued hundreds of new drilling permits for oil and gas exploration in 2024.

Dependence on fossil fuels is not waning; it’s intensifying at a rate never seen before.

Aramco CEO Amin Nasser says, “Global South is likely to see significant growth in oil demand for a long time…. If so, more than 100 million barrels per day would realistically still be required by 2050… This is a stark contrast with those predicting that oil will, or must, fall to just 25 million barrels per day by then…. Being short 75 million barrels every day would be devastating for energy security and affordability.”

Meanwhile, the preachers of the anti-fossil fuel gospel live hypocritically, enjoying fossil fuel-guzzling private jets and lavish sea-front mansions. That their affluence rests on an economic bedrock of fossil fuels is not lost on impoverished countries seeking betterment through the use of hydrocarbons as they are pressured to adopt “green” policies.

Even if the findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment reports are accepted, the predictions of harm from global warming are overblown. According to the IPCC, the cost of a warmer planet would be in the range of 2-4% of the gross domestic product (GDP) by 2100 – a tiny amount considering that the average person is expected to be much richer by then and the cost of “green” policies are likely to impoverish entire nations.

Every major economy thriving today was built on fossil fuels. Their contributions in the areas of energy, transportation, construction, agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare and more have produced unprecedented levels of prosperity, health and life expectancy.

Moreover, the increase in atmospheric CO2 from the combustion of hydrocarbons has been a boon, greening vast areas of Earth and producing record crop harvests to feed billions of people.

It’s past time to abandon the climate myth and embrace fossil fuels for the gifts that they are.

Vijay Jayaraj is a Science and Research Associate at the CO2 Coalition, Arlington, Virginia. He holds an M.S. in environmental sciences from the University of East Anglia and a postgraduate degree in energy management from Robert Gordon University, both in the U.K., and a bachelor’s in engineering from Anna University, India.