Facing The Facts Of Fossil Fuels
By Luke Miller-McMillan and Grace Moore
There are many factors (reasons) as to why our Earth’s climate is changing. However, the main contributor is fossil fuels and the companies associated with them. Coal, oil and gas are the Earth’s main polluters, with coal being responsible for a staggering 41% of carbon dioxide emissions.
Now, if the world was simple, we would just ban fossil fuels – right?
Well, we can’t exactly as the world depends on the use of them. It is how we drive, get heating in our homes and how we use our electricity. However, there are other ways to do all of these things but in a more sustainable way. Sustainable means something you can use over and over again without it ever running out or causing too much. This is what renewable energy is, like solar power. See our article on renewable energy here.
The companies that provide fossil fuels to the public and their representatives have over 503 delegates (people) at COP26, which is more than double the UK’s delegates attending. Over 100 fossil fuel companies are being represented at COP26 but it begs the question: why? Why are these companies getting all of this representation compared to actual countries or activists?
Well, the truth is that fossil fuel companies don’t have a formal role within COP26 unlike other conferences. While they may not have “a seat at the table”, they still have a major influence (pressure) on the conference and the decisions made there. This is because of just how large the fossil fuel industry is and how many companies are involved with it. So really, no matter what, fossil fuel industries will always have an influence on our lives.
Fossil fuel companies do not want the world to change too much. They make a lot of money from selling their coal, oil and gas around the world. As the world starts to move away from these harmful fuels, these companies risk losing their business. To protect their business, they spend lots of money lobbying (persuading) governments to keep fossil fuels.
Fossil fuel companies are also some of the richest in the whole world. This is because they have been making lots of money for more than a century. With lots of money, comes lots of influence, comes lots of power.
What can we do to change this?
We can use renewable energy instead of fossil fuels and do things such as walking instead of driving when it’s a short distance or use public transport. While it may seem that there’s not much you can personally do, making small changes in your life can make a big difference.
Sources:
https://time.com/5766188/shell-oil-companies-fossil-fuels-climate-change/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-59199484
https://time.com/6110667/fossil-fuel-companies-cop26-influence/
