African Energy Chamber to COP28: We Want Fossil Fuels!
By Robert Bradley Jr. -- December 13, 2023Ed note: As COP28 wound down, the African Energy Chamber issued this communication.
“African producers have not and will not agree to phasing out fossil fuels. Unlike the rest of the developed world, the continent has not yet had the chance to transform its economies through oil and gas. In order to develop, grow and address concerns such as energy poverty and industrialization, oil and gas will need to remain central for years to come.”
Oil and gas will play an instrumental role in Africa’s economy for decades to come, and as such, African producers will not agree to any phase-out of these resources.
Despite the fact that over 600 million people are still without access to electricity and over 900 million people lack access to clean cooking in Africa, the continent’s COP 28 negotiators are caving into pressure from the West, stating that Africa is open to a phase-out approach regarding fossil fuels.…
Continue ReadingMore SMR Woes: Oklo/Air-Force Cancellation
By Kennedy Maize -- December 12, 2023Another small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) has seen a major contract in jeopardy, casting more doubt on the prospects for this highly-touted technology of the future. The online news service Alaska Beacon reports that the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has revoked an August Air Force preliminary decision to install an experimental Oklo micro reactor at Eielson Air Force near Fairbanks, Alaska.
The Defense Department logistics arm refused repeated requests for details and clarification of the cancellation of the Oklo project. The chance to build a small nuclear power plant at the Alaskan location drew interest from SMR vendors Oklo, BWXT, Westinghouse, NuScale Power, and Rolls Royce, among other interested energy parties at a meeting last year.
According to the Alaska Beacon, Seattle-based Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp.,…
Continue ReadingAl Gore’s Tiresome Crusade: So Long, So Wrong
By Robert Bradley Jr. -- December 11, 2023“Today the evidence of an ecological Kristallnacht is as clear as the sound of glass shattering in Berlin. We are still reluctant to believe that our worst nightmares of a global ecological collapse could come true; much depends on how quickly we can recognize the danger. [- Al Gore, Earth in the Balance (1992)]
“Every night on the TV news is like taking a nature hike through the Book of Revelation,” Al Gore told the New York Times last year. The Times reporter noted: “The past few weeks have him even more worried than usual.” Really?
Gore’s rhetoric today is toned toward hope that new technology will save the day. “We know how to fix this,” Gore told the Times:
… Continue ReadingWe can stop the temperatures going up worldwide with as little as a three-year time lag by reaching net zero.