Politicians putting energy transition first? Actions suggest not.

The more I read about political energy and sustainability decisions, with a few exceptions, the more I despair.

The Politicians ´Priority One´ continues to ever more firmly default to keeping political power. Decisions on green sustainable solutions fall in planning or in meetinging the ever powerful corporate self interest or the interest of other governmental sponsors.

There seems little evidence in politicians truly educating themselves to have a personal opinion beyond the sound bites and scripts provided by government or oil corporate PR. Knowledgable politicians with their own original ideas and beliefs are depressingly rare.

While consequences and circumstances are different, the climate change situation reminds me of the many decades when cigarette and tobacco company sponsored politicians, research institutes, PR companies and even Doctors to argue the nonsense that smoking was a cool thing to do and good for you.

Big Oil companies are talking the green talk but without looking too hard you find a typical example of the Big Oil and Gas greenwash agenda,

Just look at any companies annual financial report. One such report from a large oil and gas, global conglomerate, while spending $3 billion on renewable and sustainable solutions they spent $80 billion on oil and gas research, prospecting, exploitation and assets construction.

Big oil and gas are also pushing to politicians carbon sequestration as part of the green agenda. This just happens to be a great future revenue stream for them. Filling their exhausted empty hydro carbon caverns they created with CO2 and other pollutants - what a great wheeze.

Hydrogen is quite a favourite of Big Oil and Gas too and often mentioned by politicians.

Why..? because it keeps in use their existing gas assets (pipes, storage and transportation). Not to say Hydrogen does not have a part to play in energy transition. Just be aware why big oil and gas push it as a continued source of income from existing assets. And green speak for politicians.

Be aware too that present Hydrogen production methods are also hugely polluting and is the priority to fix first.

CO2 created from hydrogen manufacture is around 800million CO2 tonnes per year (global total of all emissions are 36,000 million tonnes of CO2).

The priority for hydrogen is to manufacture it using electrolysis powered by green electricity.

The stopping of the burning of fossil fuels and any rapid transition to clean electricity energycan only come from Politically driven change.

So consider letting you local and national Politicians know you care, share these facts and arguments with them and your friends. A significant rapid change to sustainable energy will only come from the people masses. Lets change politicians not the climate.

A fun way to get the message out.

Here is the link to the T Shirts and 90 or so other gifts with the message