Via Allen Brooks – May 6, 2022
“By giving a ‘death sentence’ to natural gas and its much-needed infrastructure investments, John Kerry is hindering the growth of the industry. In turn, it will hurt those with limited or no access. It will make European countries’ attempt to break away from Russian fossil fuel dominance, a goal of the Biden administration, even more difficult.
John Kerry, President Joe Biden’s climate envoy, is the latest government official to deliver conflicting messages about energy.
As The Wall Street Journal shown, in January, Kerry told the American Chamber of Commerce that he could see keeping natural gas in a cleaner energy mix as a “bridge fuel” from traditional fossil fuels to a future. hybrid use more renewable energy. He made another score that came back to bite him. He told the meeting, “If you can capture 100% [of emissions] and it makes it affordable, which is awesome. But we don’t do that.”
In his mind, carbon capture is the technology the natural gas industry needs to invest in, but our guess is either Kerry doesn’t know, or it just isn’t fast enough for him. Kerry’s message to Chamber of Commerce members was:
Above all, let me be realistic, but let me be frank and hopefully motivating. We’re having a hard time, I hope everyone understands that. It’s not a problem we can’t get out of, but we’re not on the right track.
What he really wants is to invest more in renewable energy. He lamented the lack of investment, saying: “Many countries – most countries – have the capacity to deploy very substantial amounts of additional renewable energy, and they don’t.”
Does the economy or energy security have anything to do with the slowing growth rate of renewable energy? The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects renewables to account for 90% of new electricity additions globally from 2022 onward. So when Kerry threatened a “death sentence” on natural gas, it raised questions about what he really wanted. According to Kerry, in comments to Bloomberg TV:
We have to keep the industry in mind: You have six years, eight years, no more than 10 years or so in which you have to devise a vehicle that you will capture. [emissions]and if you don’t get it, then we have to deploy alternative energy sources.
Kerry went on to state: “Nobody is going to be able to easily facilitate the 30-40 year infrastructure-building gas interests, which we’re stuck with, and you know the fight is going to be ‘ we can’t close because of jobs, because of investors, etc’”
So should we only build natural gas infrastructure that is 10 years old or less? Good luck convincing people that there is a financial case for such investments.
Industry and academic research are advancing carbon capture technology. However, most new endeavors are exploratory, as the technology needs to be economically and technically viable before corporations can invest billions of dollars. Proving the technology probably won’t be at the speed or scale that Kerry says is necessary, but what does Kerry know about tech trends?
Meanwhile, the administration that employs him is actively working to limit growth opportunities for traditional fossil fuels. By introducing a ‘death sentence’ to natural gas and necessary infrastructure investments, John Kerry is hindering the growth of the industry. In turn, it will hurt those with limited or no access. It would make Europe’s attempt to break free from the dominance of Russian fossil fuels, a goal of the Biden administration, even more difficult.
Here’s some advice: Think before you speak. The Biden administration appears to have a serious shortcoming in mastering this advice.
Postscript
This week, John Kerry backtracked on a climate goal set by the Paris Climate Agreement. Instead of 1.5C in 2050, the new target is 1.8C by 2100. Like reported by E&E News:
For much of last year, climate envoy John Kerry had one number in mind: 1.5 degrees Celsius. That’s the level of warming scientists say the world must not be surpassed if it hopes to stop. dangerous and irreversible climate impacts. But as new realities set in and hoped-for ambitions fail to materialize in the US and abroad, Kerry is downsizing.
New talk?
“We want to keep that 1.8-degree target accessible, and the only way to do that is to fully deliver on the promises that have been made,” Kerry said in a speech at a forum. electrical industry. His comments signaled a departure from the US message under President Joe Biden and raised concerns among some foreign officials and climate advocates that the White House was bringing uncertainty into the mix. international discussions on climate change.
Do not expect this to be the last word regarding the means and ends of US and global climate policy.
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