ENLIGHTENING NEGROS: Fossil Fuel Derangement Syndrome

The often-touted Energiewende energy transition strategy of Germany to completely phase out the use of fossil fuels has demonstrated itself to be a complete failure. For a highly developed and technologically advanced country like Germany to fail in its ambitious endeavor of phasing out fossil fuels, our barely catching up country should learn from Germany’s self-induced energy crisis. With our current unbearable power rates, Negros should have sobered up by now. The public should stop relying on the over-the-top promises being marketed by fringe greenies and take its electricity problem seriously.

Why are there so many who choose to demonize fossil fuels? It is because many were misled and misinformed. Thanks to the use of dirty fossil fuels; we now live in sturdy buildings with amenities to keep us safe and comfortable from the harshest weather, we now use more efficient technologies in accomplishing our tasks, and we have practically prolonged life expectancy with better healthcare and the elimination of our natural threats. It is an underappreciated fact that fossil fuels have helped us improve our quality of life, the present life expectancy stands at 73 years old, and it is expected to steadily increase to 80 before 2050 all thanks to the development which was driven by evil fossil fuels.

The continuous effort of pursuing to become a “100% Renewable” province is a whim that is hurting the ordinary Negrense. Should our leaders continue following the impulses of fringe greenies? Or should they start listening to the struggling Negrense consumer? We’ve been taught to be so afraid of carbon emissions from relatively cheaper and abundant fossil fuels even though we have benefited so much from it, directly and indirectly, our entire lives.

These “green experts” often compel us to cut carbon emissions, but have our costly sacrifices significantly mitigated carbon emissions on the island? Going fully fossil-fuel-free is a delusion that Negros will never achieve in this lifetime. We simply have no available technology or the resources to accomplish it. We should worry more about the here and now, Negrenses are suffering more from the high cost of living than the extinction-level climate change that the anti-progress progressives are talking about.

If Negros doesn’t adapt, it will soon become just a mere insignificant and mediocre island in a poor country. In the past years, manufacturing and other big industries have opted to stay away from Negros with our high electricity being the major drawback for potential investors. Negrenses should demand more when it comes to our energy security, if there are private investors willing to put up electricity generation projects on the Island we should cater to them, whether they are RE or traditional. We should also engage more with the government and local leaders to take a reasonable course of action on our energy policies.

We have been forced to settle for things that never lived to the expectations and promises that never materialized for too long. It is time for Negros to try other things. We were tricked into rejecting a coal power plant before, please do not be fooled twice by also denying Negros of a natural gas plant which is desperately needed for our electricity generation needs.* (Raymund Besa)