THE IMPACT OF FOSSIL FUELS ON 
DEMOCRACY

The excessive use of fossil fuels is one of the reasons of climate change, a phenomenon that is considered as a serious threat to the existence of many communities all over the world, and the main cause of this climate change phenomenon is the human activity.

North Africa will be devastated by the climate change, millions will die, and many more millions will be forced to migrate. Deserts will continue to expand; fishermen will lose their source of livelihood, and water will be scarcer that ever. It is also expected that the world will witness hotter summers, colder winters, and more intense storms because of climate change. Villages will be evacuated as a result of drought. The rising sea levels combined with the declining food production will destroy fertile lands. Even big cities will be affected by the scarcity of water, and radical changes will take place in the region during the upcoming twenty years.

It is argued that climate change is the rich war against the working class of small farmers and workers who truly take all the burden of climate change devastating consequences on behalf of the privileged.

The flourishing of renewable energy sources is considered a major threat to the giant fossil oil companies. And as a result, those companies are halting the investment in green energy in the midst of worries from catastrophic consequences of the growing use of fossil fuels.

Professor of Sustainable Energy Claudia Kemfert notes that the old companies are trying to influence the public opinion in Germany, and to push the public to accept the idea of “reducing the change of energy sources”  by claiming that “green energy will increase the energy prices”. Professor Kemfert comments on this claim by saying: “but this is not true, these are just myths designed to discredit the transition to green energy sources “.

It’s not only Claudia Kemfert who has doubts in the intention of oil companies, also energy experts in academia, environmental organizations, and politicians who support renewable energy in Germany agree with Professor Kemfert. And they are expressing their "extreme fear and apprehension" of the corporate attempts to influence the political circles to ensure political decisions that are supportive to their interests. Ulrich Kelber from the German Social Democratic Party stated that the companies want to "continue to run their old power generation models”.

Also, the transition to renewable energies has resulted in a significant reduction in the profits of coal and gas companies in other countries in Europe and the world. And the conflict is raging between those companies and the proponents of renewable energy, but the intensity of this conflict is greatest in Germany. The new entrants to the conflict are the automotive and locomotive manufacturers, as the “authorities have suspended coal and gas future plans for an indefinite period in Europe. Furthermore, investing in traditional energy techniques have been suspended as well" as Peter Frank from Prognoz consulting firm states.

Prepared by

Randa Mustafa Ali Abdalrahman

Environmental Science, Institute of Environmental Studies, University of Khartoum