Calgarians say “No!” to oil, protest World Petroleum Congress 2023 (a decade ago, they also said “No”)

Amanda Hu@amandalhu Sept 17, 2023:

Calgarians facing down the World Petroleum Congress is not a small thing. The idea of Alberta identity being intrinsically linked to the oil and gas industry is something we’re steeped in our whole lives. But we’re more than oil and our children deserve more than that. #ableg

Martin Z. Olszynski@molszyns Sept 17, 2023:

Solid turnout — well done #YYC

No wonder, Calgarians are protesting oil and gas:

BNN Interviews Alberta Oil Patch Consultant Brent Nimeck on Lexin and AER’s Orphan Wells: “This problem is 30 years in the making. … I would call it a Ponzi Scheme…. This is an orchestrated fraud from multiple angles: Industry, CAPP and the Alberta Energy Regulator have enabled this to happen. … Through our independent analysis and we’ve confirmed this at multiple sources within the energy regulator, the liabilities are over $300 billion. That’s what’s on the hook for Alberta taxpayers right now – $300 billion.”

It gets uglier:

2023 09 18: Alberta Premier Danielle Smith at her most vulgar prostituting for big oil:

Saudis come to Calgary warning of the consequences of ditching oil, Debate about energy transition plays out at prominent oil and gas conference in Calgary by Paula Duhatschek, Kyle Bakx, CBC News, Sep 19, 2023

As hundreds of oil and gas executives and government representatives descend on Calgary for the World Petroleum Congress, a delegation from Saudi Arabia is warning of the consequences of ditching oil and preaching the need for a more realistic energy transition and more investment in oil and gas.

The country has the largest delegation at the conference of any country or company, led by Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, who told the crowd of delegates that the sector can’t solely focus on climate change.

“If we really want to be faithful to the idea that we will be Will be? Pffft! Another big oil lie (data posted by oil, gas and bitumen companies shows me they have no intention to transition anywhere but steal more of the public’s money to put into pockets of polluting rich men under the guise of cleaning up under “net zero” propaganda (industry knows net zero is impossible in their super leaky operations) transitioning, we have to also make sure that transitioning happens whereby you end up attending tofilling our greedy pockets energy security, ensuring that energy is still affordable, and does not act as an impediment to economic prosperity and growth,” he said while onstage.

 “And if you don’t do all of the above, I’m sorry, but I don’t think you could attend to climate change issues.”Typical petroleum big bully threats, in my view, it’s best to ignore anything he says or writes.

Net zero?

The pitch by the Saudi delegation runs somewhat counter to the net-zero theme of this year’s World Petroleum Congress, though it’s shared by many in attendance. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith made similar comments this week, along with the head of ExxonMobil, one of the world’s largest publicly traded international oil and gas companies.

But outside the walls of the World Petroleum Congress there’s pushback to this narrative. A recent, bombshell op-ed from the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggests peak demand for fossil fuels will happen within the next decade and that, while timelines vary, oil, gas and coal are all on their way out.

The two perspectives exemplify the fundamental debate that surrounds the oil and gas industry, as some governments and environmental groups pressure companies to move faster on climate change — especially given their record profits — while executives and some politicians caution the road to net-zero is a slow, windy path without a clear road map.Intentionally designed to never get anywhere, just like ex AB premier Ralph Klein’s non plan bitumen mining clean up plans that never materialized except in talk, and are still not happening, other than manipulating/bullying federal and provincial regulators into letting companies dump their massive toxic tailings accumulations into the watershed, which would be a crime against humanity and all other species on earth.

Just days before the World Petroleum Congress kicked off, the IEA warned how the world’s appetite for oil and other fossil fuels may peak before the end of this decade.

It’s the first time the global energy watchdog has predicted peak fossil fuels will arrive so soon.

Fatih Birol, the IEA’s head, wrote in the Financial Times last week that the projections would show that “the world is on the cusp of a historic turning point.”

“Peaks for the three fossil fuels are a welcome sight, showing that the shift to cleaner and more secure energy systems is speeding up and that efforts to avoid the worst effects of climate change are making headway,” he wrote.

Still, Birol warned the IEA’s forecast downturn is nowhere near steep enough to put the world on a path to limiting temperature rises to 1.5 C above pre-industrialized levels, which is considered important to avoiding a climate catastrophe.

But speaking to conference delegates Monday, the president and CEO of Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil and gas company pushed back against the idea that the world is anywhere close to peak fossil fuel demand. I fully expect Gaia to punt our hideous species off long before any real efforts globally to stop the bitumen, oil and gas mobsters.

“The reality on the ground is that despite concerted effort to move to alternatives, global coal consumption is at record levels … with demand still robust,” said Amin Nasser, the company’s president and CEO, while accepting an industry leadership award at the conference. 

Oil consumption also remains strong, he said, while natural gas has become an increasingly important “bridge fuel.” Unnatural gas has never been a bridge fuel. Saying so is just another propagandizing con job to make citizens globally accept gov’ts stealing from us, giving billions of our dollars to rich raping oil and gas men.He said renewables still only account for a relatively small share of global energy consumption and new solutions like green hydrogen are currently pricey.Hydrogen is just another con, to keep companies producing natural gas and stealing from the citizenry. In summary, it’s unforgivable demented abuse by rich polluters on a global scale.

‘The world wobbles’

While alternatives like hydrogen, wind and solar are important, Nasser said, he warned that phasing out conventional fuels too quickly could take mountains of money out of his and the pockets of other rich men put global energy and security at risk

“As the recent energy crisis has shown, compounded by the conflict in Ukraine, the world wobbles if these realities are ignored or wished away, and the public anger we have already seen could ultimately derail climate ambition and action themselves,” he saidBullshit.

On-stage at the conference, Darren Woods, chair and CEO of ExxonMobil, made a similar point. 

“There seems to be somewhat wishful thinking that we’re gonna flip a switch and we’ll go from where we’re at today to where we’ll be tomorrow,” he said. “If we don’t maintain some level of investment in the industry, you end up running short of supply, which leads to high prices and some of the effects that Amin referenced.”More bullshit, it’s got nothing to do with energy security, and everything to do with human greed and desire for more power.

The IEA, for its part, agrees that demand for fossil fuels will still see peaks and valleys in the years to come, and that demand will vary country by country. Still, it predicts the era of “relentless growth” for the fossil fuel sector is coming to an end. 

Different perspectives on oilpatch

The IEA’s projection and industry comments at the conference in Calgary show the different points of view that exist about the future of the oilpatch, said John England, global energy and chemicals leader, with Deloitte Global.

Oil and gas producers are taking different strategies to try to meet the world’s growing demand for oil, while also trying to cut emissions.

“We can’t Of course humans can easily stop investing in petro products! These fuckers just don’t want their selfish greedy grubby gravy trains to stop or slow, even a teeny bitstop investing in hydrocarbons. We still need to invest in those, but while we’re investing in these newer energies. More lies! Look at industry’s data, the rich are pocketing their profits and public moneys they are stealing via corrupt gov’ts like Danielle Smith’s; their investments in new energies are barely putting a scratch on a leaking barrel.And so I think it’s just trying to find thebest propaganda with which to fool the masses for decades yet or until life on earth ceases, whichever comes firstbalance,” he said in an interview with CBC News.

Two people lean their heads together to talk in the middle of a crowd.
Smith tours the Saudi Arabia pavilion at the World Petroleum Congress in Calgary Monday. (The Canadian Press)

North American oil prices surged Monday to more than $90 US per barrel, a nine-month high.

Those prices give the industry the financial strength to make investments to reduce emissions and invest in low-carbon sources of energy. However, the sector has faced criticism from environmental groupsCome on CBC! What’s with this shit pollution-enabling reporting!? It’s not just NGOs, it’s most of the world’s scientists and they are not just criticizing, they are presenting and analyzing terrifying data and calling for fossil fuels to stop. Many have been doing so for decades (the main reason I chose not to have any kids) for not using enough of its profits to make meaningful investments to drive down greenhouse gases.

Environmentalists unimpressed

2023 was Canada’s worst wildfire season on record, while record temperatures were reached this summer around the globe.

Environmental groups have protested outside the gathering.

“Now that the evidence is clearer than ever that demand for fossils will peak this decade, major oil producers will do anything to delay that transition,” and keep their billions of dollars in subsidies rolling in, stolen from the people said Julia Levin, associate director of national climate at Environmental Defence Canada.

The science is clear about what needs to be done, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said during a speech at the conference, urging the industry to prioritize climate change.As if urging rapists to stop raping ever worked.

“As a global community we need to achieve net-zero impossible, and he and industry knows it emissions by 2050 and we need to make meaningful progress by 2030. We cannot get to net-zero the impossibleby 2050 if we begin our journey in 2040.”

The World Petroleum Congress is led by WPC Energy, which is an organization of nearly 65 member countries from around the world, including both Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC countries.

The event, which has not been held in Canada since 2000, is expected to draw in 15,000 visitors from more than 100 countries this week. 

Refer also to:

2023: Oil giants’ climate-change cheap talk is why we need a hard cap on their emissions

2023: Revealed: top carbon offset projects may not cut planet-heating emissions, Majority of offset projects that have sold the most carbon credits are ‘likely junk’, according to analysis by Corporate Accountability and the Guardian

2023 New Study: Homo sapiens mutilates the tree of life, destroying conditions on earth that make human life possible.

Calgarians also said “No!” to oil a decade ago:

2013: Proposal for fracking close to Calgary stirs opposition

Alberta to complete review on urban oil drilling, Planned well in Calgary suburb sparks controversy

Calgarians near urban oilwell say “not in my backyard”

Oil industry workers oppose drilling and fracking in Calgary

A proposed oil well to be fracked inside the City of Calgary puts residents and the industry on a collision course

Progressive Conservative (PC) candidate Sandra Jensen calls for a stop to the Kaiser Exploration Ltd. Oil Well in the City of Calgary

Kaiser Oil Well to be frac’d in Calgary near sour gas

Royal Oak residents rally against oil well near homes

Slide above from Ernst presentations

Match made in Hell: Calgary-based killer Calfrac supports Putin’s illegal war, rape & pillage in Ukraine; Frac giants Baker Hughes, Schlumberger, Halliburton too. No wonder: invading, rape & pillage is what frac’ers do.

Calgary Executive Million Dollar Bonuses Increased 40.6% in 2016, Comparatively Nothing Paid to Clean Up Liabilities/Abandoned Wells/FacilitiesIn Alberta, it’s intentional letting oil and gas companies walk from leakers/clean up/abandoned wells etc., enabled by courts, “regulators” and politicians, often under the guise of bankruptcy or selling to a minor company that has no ability (or intention) to clean up the major’s pollution, devastation, frac’d aquifers, cancer-causing waste dumps, etc. It’s been intentionally going on for decades.

U of Calgary, U of Alberta get $75 million *each* from Canadian taxpayers to legitimize (synergize) and spread AER/CAPP/petroleum industry propaganda, to enable continued devastation and harms to Alberta’s environment, communities and people and spread them across Canada

Carl Sagan testifying before Congress in 1985 on climate change

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