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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/18/climate-crisis-fossil-fuels-autocracies-authoritorian-countries>
"When it comes to the climate crisis, how do you negotiate with an autocracy?
It is the case today, and it is almost certain to remain so for the dwindling
number of years in which we can hope to stave off the worst of climate
breakdown, that the bulk of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from
countries that are not democratic. Add to that, many of the major suppliers of
oil and gas – the Gulf petrostates for instance, plus Russia, Venezuela and a
few others – are likewise authoritarian.
Their outsize impact puts autocratic nations in the spotlight when it comes to
global climate talks. How their governments decide to act will be crucial to
the planet’s future. But while democracies are subject to the whims of
electorates, which can often be unpredictable, autocratic nations tend to be
far more inscrutable.
Take the small handful of the world’s biggest fossil fuel companies, referred
to as the “carbon majors”. They hold our future in their hands, and of the top
20 with the biggest carbon output globally, 16 are state-owned and were
responsible for 52% of global emissions in 2023.
But these companies are generally accountable only to the governments that own
them. The great majority – including Saudi Arabia’s Aramco, China’s CHN Energy
and Jinneng Holding Group and the National Iranian Oil Company – are owned by
autocracies or authoritarian governments. Among the top five biggest emitters,
only Coal India belongs to a democracy."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
