British Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Grant Shabbs criticized calls on Monday for a rapid transition from fossil fuels during meetings with the US President’s special envoy for climate change, John Kerry.
Schabbs’ comments came during Monday morning’s US-UK climate summit attended by President Biden and King Charles III. They were created in response to Shell CEO Val Chavan saying last week that the global energy system continues to “need oil and gas” and that green energy development has not progressed enough to allow countries to ditch fossil fuels.
“There always needs to be a change… but it won’t happen overnight and it’s silly to suggest you actually can,” the BBC reported. “If you try, you impoverish people, and tell people they can’t drive anymore, and they can’t heat their houses anymore.”
However, Kerry said in an interview with the BBC on Monday that companies changing their climate responsibilities were “moving in the wrong direction”. He also called for accelerating the green transition.
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Britain’s top climate envoy, Grant Shabbs, speaks as U.S. Special Presidential Climate Envoy John Kerry, President Biden and King Charles III listen during a climate fundraising forum at Windsor Castle on Monday. (Chris Jackson/WPA Pool/Getty Images)
“What we need is for the chief executives of companies to look to the future, invest in that future and accelerate the transition to that future,” Kerry told the BBC.
“Look, over the last few days, we’ve had scientists say it’s terrible, we’ve had scientists say we’re in uncharted territory,” he continued.
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Monday’s summit comes amid a widespread push by Western governments and leaders to pursue more aggressive green goals, replacing traditional fossil fuels with green energy alternatives like wind and solar. Since taking office, Biden has focused primarily on the energy, transportation and utilities sectors, with the goal of reducing emissions through electrification and regulations.
However, according to data from the International Energy Agency, oil, coal and natural gas still account for about 81% of the world’s total energy supply.
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