For the sake of humanity and the natural world, someone needs to say it... "Big Oil v the planet is the fight of our lives". 

​

In relation to the ABC Insiders program Sunday 11th August 2019 hosted by Patricia Karvelas with panellists Sarah Martin, Phil Coorey and Mark Riley: There really needs to be an Insider look at what drives ‘corporate agenda’ Trump and current global conflict, to understand what the civilized world is up against. This exposes an agenda that doesn’t become apparent until you piece together the evidence.
 
The marriage between governments and the power brokers controlling fossil fuel and war explains climate inaction and escalating global conflict. Fighting over depleting oil and natural gas reserves is not about energy security, we can get that with a responsible transition to renewables. It’s driven by entrenched corporate greed and, that drives our current stable of politicians. 
 
Understanding how the world works explains most of the posturing and conflict we see today and, why Australia is being threatened, on two fronts, by global super powers. By the U.S. as a security partner and, by China our largest trading partner. As U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompao puts the hard word on Australia along with his quote: “You can sell your soul for a hand full of soy beans or you can protect your people” and, Liberal MP Andrew Hastie is condemned for his Nazi reference to China. While the LNP government flounders.

​

For Trump's armada targeting Iran, Pompao pressures Australia to join United States and U.K. military efforts to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The immediate response is, the White House should not be dictating Australian foreign policy as Iran slams Australia's military intervention. What Australia is actually doing is backing Saudi Arabia in a united front against Iran. Keep in mind that attacking Iran will also be an attack on Russia in the countdown to Russia and China arming Iran and sharing defence technology. Think about who drives Trump to work out what drives this escalation as Trump declares his supporters Boris Johnson the "great one" and Scott Morrison "fantastic PM". 

 

PIECING TOGETHER THE EVIDENCE AND POLITICAL DRIVERS:

​

The headlines are shocking beyond belief: There are four warring factions, in Yemen, fighting over 2.7 billion barrels of oil representing 90% of the countries wealth. 65% of the oil in Yemen is being stolen by U.S. client state Saudi Arabia and the French oil company Total. France being the worlds third largest arms dealer after the U.S.A. and Russia.

 

For the war machine, arms manufacturers and arms dealers to prosper, you need something to fight over. In the Middle East it’s oil and natural gas. With the Saudi Arabia starvation strategy, they don’t care about the 85,000 children who have starved to death already in Yemen. It’s all about money, power and control at any cost to humanity.

​

Iran backed Houthi claim responsibility for Saudi Arabia oil facility attacks and, oil tanker drone strikes followed by torpedo attacks in the Gulf of Oman. Saying they were a response to Saudi “aggression” and “genocide” in Yemen. Trump officials promote Iran-Al Qaeda myth, issue Grace 1 oil tanker warrant and, impose more sanctions on Yemen's ally, Iran, as the U.S. Senate fails to override Trumps veto of the Saudi arms sales bill. From the side-line, China warns don't open 'Pandora's Box' in the Middle East.

​

NEWS FLASH: Trump is being impeached because he keeps doing what Russia wants. Actually, it’s a game of lies and deceit and, he keeps doing what “Big Oil” wants. By betraying the Kurds, Trump has handed Syria, and their oil reserves to Russia. So what’s the pay off? That would be “back off” helping Iran in their support of Yemen so U.S. client state Saudi Arabia and the UAE can continue to plunder Yemen's oil without interference. "You give us Yemen and we will give you Syria" - It’s the real world and the beneficiaries are, you guessed it, Big Oil.

 

Conservative right-wing governments are all involved in the same "dirty wars", power play, with Australia, France, the UK and the United States selling arms to Saudi Arabia and, Australia selling arms to the UAE. After the cover-up and resulting public outcry, one may ask, who drives the oil wars and why? The “why” is easy, it’s about profit from fossil fuel and profit to arms manufacturers. The “who” is a bit harder since we only see the political front men. Not surprisingly, this is the same government consortium clamping down on freedom of press.

 

Unless you are a staunch supporter of the right, you must get the same feeling I get. Our leaders don't govern for the people, the economy or the environment. They govern for something else. As an example, the yellow vest riots in France, the UK environmental failure, UK involvement in the oil wars and, Australia's economic and renewables failure. In each case, these governments sell arms in oil wars, promote fossil fuel and undermine renewable energy on behalf of the globally entrenched and politically influential fossil fuel industry.

 

This explains right-wing government inaction on climate change... No, no-one is game to say it... Our leaders are completely insane but, not so stupid as to realise that the "politics of fear" and false narrative keep them in power. Power and money to themselves and a green light for those they represent. Their vow of office to protect society above all else is quickly forgotten. They work for the fossil fuel industry and not their fellow countrymen.

​

The East, and the West, play the same murderous game for control of depleting oil and natural gas reserves. To prevent all out war we need a balance of power and we also need to be prepared for war but, that’s not the message here, that just feeds the war machine and stakeholders. The message here, is to telegraph the drivers of climate change denial and, once again, to understand what the civilised world is up against.

 

There are 1.5 billion barrels of oil and 200 billion cubic meters of natural gas being tapped by Israel. A large proportion of Israel’s fossil fuel wealth lies beneath land under Palestinian control as Golan Heights oil discoveries come into play and British arms exports to Israel reach record levels.

 

Then we have the devastating war in Syria to control 2.5 billion barrels of oil with 500,000 civilians killed, 5.7 million refugees, the U.S. selling weapons and, Russia now the dominant player and controller. The war in Afghanistan to control 1 billion barrels of oil and 52 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, the real reason for the Afghan war and, the second Libyan civil war for control of territory and 46 billion barrels of oil with a street value of $2.5 trillion and, once again, with Russian involvement.

​

From Geopolitical Trends comes the Middle East Game of Throne. This is a play by the global super powers, Russia, U.S.A. and China for control of oil and natural gas reserves and gives some insight into the "Oil Wars" raging right now. This is also stark reality and, once again, explains the underlying reason for climate change denial in fossil fuel conglomerates, war economies and the governments who pander to them.

 

Here is the clincher. The ongoing conflict in Venezuela forcing 4 million citizens to flee the country escalates the South American refugee crisis as the U.S. imposes more sanctions. With 297 billion barrels of oil, Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world and the East West fight, including a purported US coup attempt, is on for control. Trumps response to the refugee crisis; "promote hatred" resulting in hate fueled mass murder and, "build a wall".

 

Just like Yemen, the same applies in Venezuela with Russia/Cuba and China backing the military dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro for control of the country's massive oil reserves. The U.S. and the West are backing Juan Guaidó for control, as the U.S. sanction driven economic crisis escalates to destabilise the country and turn the population against Maduro. Maduro intended to step down but China and Russia need to protect investments and, I suspect, Russia wanted to use his military regime as an oil bargaining chip. With Trump proposing a naval blockade against Venezuela, in the world of fighting for control of oil and natural gas and, here's the shock, it’s business as usual.

 

Our dependence on increasingly scarce resources (especially fossil fuel) spurs the national and imperial rivalries that intensify militarism. (See International security expert Michael T. Klare’s excellent “Resource Wars.” The new landscape of global conflict.) And note: within the global power structure, much of the world’s limited resources are devoured maintaining the war machine(s). War itself is a major engine of ecological mayhem. From an article in Truthout by Ed Kinane.

 

If we transition to renewable energy that takes away demand for fossil fuels and, diffuses the oil wars. It also takes away the massive profits from both. Keeping that in mind, and against all the scientific evidence, once again, who are those most likely to be in climate change denial? Who are those opposing a responsible transition to renewables energy? Think about it, if we band together and do something about this, besides diffusing the oil wars and saving the planet, we have also removed our smug, self serving, arse-hole politicians. So it's a three way win.

 

Anyone associated with fossil fuels and/or the fight for control of fossil fuels will naturally be in climate change denial and false narrative. There’s trillions of dollars to be made and these people don’t care about the outcome or who gets hurt. They don’t care about the death and destruction of societies, the murder of the innocent and the refugee crisis happening right now in real time.

​

They most certainly don’t care about what may happen in the future, our future. It will never enter their heads. They don’t care about impending catastrophic climate change and they don’t care about the possible collapse of civilisation as predicted by Sir David Attenborough at the UN climate summit. They don't care that there is no doubt left that humans are causing global warming.

 

Those in climate change denial only care about massive profits and screw the planet, screw the rest of us and screw civilisation. As Trump rolls back environmental protection it becomes obvious that we, and our precious natural world, are just collateral damage. Appealing to them will not stop them. We need a different approach. We need to take away the demand for fossil fuels and, the only way we are going to do that is by installing a pro climate action government! 

​

The carbon clock is ticking with average global temperatures set to rise by 2°C within 18 years. At 1°C today, we are already seeing melting of the polar ice caps, sea level rise, catastrophic and extreme weather events, drought like no other, coral reef destruction and mass extinction. The world heating up by even 1.5°C would have a brutal impact on future generation. Experts warn us, we have only until 2030 to stem catastrophic climate change. In the worst case scenario, if we continue to fight over and burn all the fossil fuel on the planet, we won’t have a planet capable of supporting life as we know it.

 

The immediate response is: “How do we stand up to that, oh dear, we are doomed!”. We are not doomed. We have had the wool pulled over our eyes by the pro fossil fuel and war economy factions. What has changed is that we are galloping towards catastrophic climate change if we continue to burn fossil fuels. Alarm bells are ringing and, we are starting to wake up. 

​

Fossil fuel and war, and society being plundered by big business, is not what the majority of western citizens want. Our politicians have been corrupted and our democracy has been hijacked by a hand-full of powerful corporates and industrialists. If we let this continue, it's at our peril. Any politician who condones the destruction of the biosphere and the ensuing collapse of civilisation, for short term profit, is unhinged and not fit for office! Don't mention Morrison's mate Trump.

 

There are 50 years supply of oil left on the planet. We can escalate the wars, burn all the oil, darken our world and, then what? Then we are forced to transition to renewable energy whether we like it or not but, in terms of climate action, it will be far too late. The battle to stabilise the climate, save the natural world and avoid devastating sea-level rise, will be lost. The other choice is a responsible transition to renewable energy starting now. 

 

If we do nothing, and let government drag us down the path they are on, profit driven big business will dictate our future. Mindless greed will prevail and, from what we are seeing right now, we know where that's headed. There's "no jobs on a dead planet"

 

Our first step is to take action at home and, that would be installing a government that embraces a rapid phase-out of fossil fuel and a rapid transition to renewable energy. Alternatively, until the next election, we need to pressure incumbent governments that embrace the oil economy war machine, like the LNP and, are not 100% committed to clean energy. Also like the LNP who have involved Australia in attempts to 'erase the science' at UN climate talks.

​

President-Elect Donald Trump‘s cabinet and top nominees draw more deeply from an extremist faction of the corporate class than any in memory, and likely in history. We are witnessing the wholesale corporate takeover of the American government. The same game is being played out in Australia also, with a predatory corporate agenda government.