Out of the fossil fuel age

Posted on March 16, 2026 by svenaake

The world is facing a fateful time where man-made global warming, climate change with extreme weather, social inequality, wars, pollution, species extinction, food-, water- and resource shortages threaten our common future. Wealthy oligarchs are collaborating globally to weaken democracy and human rights. To meet these challenges, a radical transformation is required – a new policy that puts renewable energy, sustainability, justice and community at the centre.

by Sven Ake Bjorke

The dismal landscape of war. Oil is a conflict generator and accelerator.
The essential choice is between relying on volatile fossil fuels controlled by autocrats, or developing domestic, local renewable power sources as quickly as possible. Photo: Å. Bjørke

Fossil fuels – a conflict generator and accelerator
Wars, hybrid wars, the risk of sabotage and conflicts in general make the price of oil unpredictable from one day to the next. Most of the world’s billionaires are “tech” and oil oligarchs. They collaborate and profit from war. Wars increase the price of oil. The richest men in the world profit handsomely; everyone else loses.

Fossil energy causes man-made global warming, poisons the environment, creates enormous refugee flows and is a conflict generator and accelerator. The wars in the Middle East and Ukraine are sending a clear signal that it is time to get out of oil dependence as soon as possible.

Fossil energy is power-centralising, undemocratic, corrupt, old-fashioned, toxic, increasingly dangerous to all life and on its way out. The transition is underway and accelerating. Oil exporters such as Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the USA, are attempting to prolong petro-dollar revenues for as long as possible.  The risks of this policy are increasing and increasingly costly.

Petro-tyrants in the Middle East and associates
The world’s largest oil and gas exporters are found in the Middle East. Oil and gas-importing countries send billions of dollars daily to Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and Qatar. The regimes in these countries are all anti-democratic, violent and extreme-religious. Any extension of the oil age strengthens these regimes. The same regimes are associated with anti-democratic forces in the US and Russia. Remember that Putin, Trump and bin Salman are friends and are cooperating to extend the fossil age. With control now also over Iranian oil production, these three men; the fossil triad, will control almost all global oil production, with only minor exceptions such as Angola and Norway. Bombing the vampire regime in Iran may not lead to regime change. Another, more effective way for most of the world’s people is to remove that kind of regime by cutting off its funding: End the oil age!

From war-driven oil prices to transition
War-driven price jumps in oil and gas, increasing uncertainty about supplies in general, and the concentration of capital among cynical and corrupt oligarchs send clear signals to all up-and-coming politicians about the necessity of a rapid transition to renewable energy for Europe, India and China. This is happening regardless of what oil addicts may think. The fossil carousel is moving faster, and we should prepare to jump off sooner rather than later.

To reduce climate emissions and pollution, subsidies and tax benefits for fossil energy must be phased out. A progressive carbon tax must be introduced, and part of the revenues distributed as an equal “CO2 bonus” to all citizens. At the same time, investments in renewable energy sources must be drastically increased, and jobs in “green” technology must be in focus. Reality-denying conspiracy theorists believe that fossil fuels will last forever, and that 99.9% of the more than a hundred thousand of the world’s foremost climate scientists and ecologists are dishonest or wrong. They prefer to believe a handful of demonstrably bought “scientists” with their fog talk and disinformation about “natural fluctuations” in the world’s climate. These “scientists” are, as a rule, paid by politically extreme organisations like Heritage Foundation, Global Warming Policy Foundation and Heartland Institute, in turn associated with Trump and MAGA, and with Russian troll farms. – No scientific credibility, but with unlimited access to money.

However, oil and gas-importing countries, including the EU and China, are all in on the transition. They are to halve imports over the next five to ten years and are investing heavily in developing non-fossil energy sources. In less than 15 years, demand for fossil energy will be dramatically reduced, oil prices will be much lower, and many of the oil installations will run at a loss or be closed. Politicians who spend 25 times more on fossil fuels than on renewables are highly wasteful.  They are wasting billions upon billions on what will soon be called “stranded assets”. In addition, they also support corrupt oligarchs and extremist religious petrotyrants. As if that is not enough, increasingly extreme weather causing deadly heat waves, food shortages and rising prices, combined with bloody political repression, will create rapidly increasing refugee flows in the world’s poor areas. Fossil fuels produce desperate migrants.

Decentralised energy production
Energy production should be largely owned and operated locally to create decentralised systems that strengthen democracy. Over the next 10–15 years, we must transition to non-fossil energy produced as much as possible locally. This process has started and is reinforced and increasingly accelerated by higher oil prices. When fossil-based energy costs three times as much as renewable energy, the choice becomes increasingly clear. Fossil energy is wasteful. More than half of it becomes useless waste heat. Electricity only needs to replace half of fossil-based energy to deliver the same useful energy, and it pollutes far less.

Centralised energy production strengthens the elite, while decentralised local ownership provides better preparedness, greater robustness, more democracy, and fairer distribution. Part of the income from selling electricity to other countries could be distributed to everyone as an “El-bonus” to encourage electricity savings and investment in renewable energy. The transition to a fossil-free society is demanding and expensive. But it will be considerably more costly not to. Skyrocketing insurance premiums, increasing floods and droughts damage, wilder, more unpredictable weather, loss of nature, toxic pollution, desperate migration, more expensive food, more landslides, conflicts and damage to infrastructure are inevitable with fossil energy.

Renewable energy provides predictability, better preparedness and less vulnerability. The non-fossil society is more decentralised, people-friendly, and robust.

Renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, hydropower, tidal, and geothermal energy, have in common that they significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, toxic pollution, corruption, armed conflict and power centralisation. The resources needed for renewable energy are also spread across the globe. Self-sufficiency is much easier to achieve, and the oligarchs’ power is reduced. Renewable, local energy is delivered regardless of the president of the United States, Russia or shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The technology for renewable energy and batteries exists but needs to be improved and developed much faster. We can choose to invest and participate in the process or, as some politicians believe, leave it all to “electrostate” China. It is a political choice.

We only have one planet, and the time has come to act.
By challenging the grip of the oligarchs, promoting a fairer economy and prioritising democracy, the environment, human rights and sustainable solutions, we can create a society that works for everyone – not just for a few.

The path to a greener future requires effort from everyone, but the reward is a planet in balance, a fairer society, and a sustainable future for generations to come.

Sources:

Global warming

Economy and global warming

Renewable energy

Fossil fuel oligarchs obstruction and disinformation

Extreme weather

Transition Now!

Decentralised energy production

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About svenaake

University Teacher.
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