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It's worth keeping in mind that Al Jazeera (as the state-funded news outlet of an extremely wealthy state that is built entirely and existentially on the sales

It's worth keeping in mind that Al Jazeera (as the state-funded news outlet of an extremely wealthy state that is built entirely and existentially on the sales of oil) may not be unbiased on this particular analysis.

kibwen 4y ago
It appears to be decrying the ongoing sale of oil: "The supposed energy transition that has been undertaken has seen renewable energy production expanded, but there has been no indication that oil and gas are being substituted and ultimately phased out."
alexb_ 4y ago
[flagged]
- kerkeslager 4y ago
  No, people on Hacker News don't read articles, they're too smart for that! But I should warn you that it's literally against the rules to call people out when they clearly didn't read the article.
  - kerkeslager 4y ago
    I've been flagged. Oh no! Corporate culture at its finest: perpetuating ignorance by commenting on articles you didn't read is a marketing problem. The solution is to brand anyone who points out ignorance as a big meanie.
- garbagecoder 4y ago
  I did and if you don't consider the source then I'm not sure what kind of reader you are. Al-Jazeera English is happy to publish some of the most lefty writers on other topics but strangely not here.
  - jacooper 4y ago
    Huh? They have a dedicated page just for climate change https://www.aljazeera.com/climate-crisis/ https://www.aljazeera.com/climate-crisis/
    - garbagecoder 4y ago
      Both-sidesism on climate is hardly an exoneration of their media position. If you think the Qatari government and its media arm are above reproach, then I don't know what to say.
ClumsyPilot 4y ago
If I was an oil company executive, I would want carbon offsets to actually work, because they could enable my business to function for longer. Am I getting this wrong?
- ArnoVW 4y ago
  They don't have to actually work. Just seem for long enough to work, until I have made enough money.
  - ClumsyPilot 4y ago
    > until I have made enough money Does this ever actually happen? Like have you made 'enough' by the time you become CEO of ExxonMobil?
    - mrguyorama 4y ago
      No but you die eventually, and then it doesn't matter to you.
_hcuq 4y ago
The whole point of offsets is to allow fossil fuel consumption to continue.
joak 4y ago
In his book, the climate wars, Michael Mann argues that oil companies want to deceive the public, they want us to give up thinking that action is useless. In that sense climate deniers and climate pessimists are on the same side: do nothing, business as usual.
vel0city 4y ago
Just for accuracy's sake, most of Qatar's wealth isn't oil but natural gas. It is kind of a nitpicky point, but it does lead to understanding some of the political/economic things going on in the Middle East.
petodo 4y ago
> Vijay Kolinjivadi is a Writer with Earth Negotiations Bulletin, as well as a post-doctoral Fellow at the Institute of Development Policy (IOB) of the University of Antwerp. He is a U.S. national and has focused on assessing biodiversity and ecosystem service-based policies, especially ""payments for ecosystem services"" for the better part of a decade. Al Jazeera may not be unbiased, but it seems the author is not on Qatar's payroll.
- dhosek 4y ago
  So he wrote the article for free?
  - aaplok 4y ago
    What GP is saying is that he wrote the article without monetary retribution from Al Jazeera. He was paid by someone else (one of his employers) to write an opinion piece published by Al Jazeera. It's not uncommon in academia.
garbagecoder 4y ago
Gas not oil, but the point remains.
thinking4real 4y ago
Yea, instead we should trust the people who invested trillions into “green” energy to remind us how cities are falling into the ocean and how we are doomed unless we do what they say (no matter how little those changes affect the data they are presenting as evidence they are right) Honestly, there’s been a lot of lies and fraud in the green movement. There’s never any suggestion that our actions will produce specific results in a measurable way. We’re just always being fed one fear mongering tactic after another. carbon offsets being a lie. most recycling being dumped. corporations having unfettered plastic usage while you’re demanded to use a paper straw… Face it, at this point big oil has a more honest reputation.
jacooper 4y ago
Al Jazeera generally has editorial freedom. I would generally trust Al Jazeera about anything apart from news about Qatar, simply because unlike western networks Al-Jazeera doesn't have to care about pleasing advertisers, and its evident in their honest Palestinian coverage(their reporters paid their lives for it). They are only second to the BBC in terms of how many stations they have. This video has details about how Al Jazeera works, and how a rare combination of state goals end up in probably the regions best journalism, to the point other middle eastern countries boycotted Qatar to try to stop Al Jazeera. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKx7TPGttSk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKx7TPGttSk
mr90210 4y ago
Your first take is a straight ad hominem instead of going counter-arguing then content itself. Yes they might be state-funded, but are they claiming accurately?

kibwen 4y ago

It appears to be decrying the ongoing sale of oil: "The supposed energy transition that has been undertaken has seen renewable energy production expanded, but there has been no indication that oil and gas are being substituted and ultimately phased out."

alexb_ 4y ago

[flagged]

kerkeslager 4y ago
No, people on Hacker News don't read articles, they're too smart for that! But I should warn you that it's literally against the rules to call people out when they clearly didn't read the article.
- kerkeslager 4y ago
  I've been flagged. Oh no! Corporate culture at its finest: perpetuating ignorance by commenting on articles you didn't read is a marketing problem. The solution is to brand anyone who points out ignorance as a big meanie.
garbagecoder 4y ago
I did and if you don't consider the source then I'm not sure what kind of reader you are. Al-Jazeera English is happy to publish some of the most lefty writers on other topics but strangely not here.
- jacooper 4y ago
  Huh? They have a dedicated page just for climate change https://www.aljazeera.com/climate-crisis/ https://www.aljazeera.com/climate-crisis/
  - garbagecoder 4y ago
    Both-sidesism on climate is hardly an exoneration of their media position. If you think the Qatari government and its media arm are above reproach, then I don't know what to say.

ClumsyPilot 4y ago

If I was an oil company executive, I would want carbon offsets to actually work, because they could enable my business to function for longer. Am I getting this wrong?

ArnoVW 4y ago
They don't have to actually work. Just seem for long enough to work, until I have made enough money.
- ClumsyPilot 4y ago
  > until I have made enough money Does this ever actually happen? Like have you made 'enough' by the time you become CEO of ExxonMobil?
  - mrguyorama 4y ago
    No but you die eventually, and then it doesn't matter to you.

_hcuq 4y ago

The whole point of offsets is to allow fossil fuel consumption to continue.

joak 4y ago

In his book, the climate wars, Michael Mann argues that oil companies want to deceive the public, they want us to give up thinking that action is useless. In that sense climate deniers and climate pessimists are on the same side: do nothing, business as usual.

vel0city 4y ago

Just for accuracy's sake, most of Qatar's wealth isn't oil but natural gas. It is kind of a nitpicky point, but it does lead to understanding some of the political/economic things going on in the Middle East.

petodo 4y ago

> Vijay Kolinjivadi is a Writer with Earth Negotiations Bulletin, as well as a post-doctoral Fellow at the Institute of Development Policy (IOB) of the University of Antwerp. He is a U.S. national and has focused on assessing biodiversity and ecosystem service-based policies, especially ""payments for ecosystem services"" for the better part of a decade. Al Jazeera may not be unbiased, but it seems the author is not on Qatar's payroll.

dhosek 4y ago
So he wrote the article for free?
- aaplok 4y ago
  What GP is saying is that he wrote the article without monetary retribution from Al Jazeera. He was paid by someone else (one of his employers) to write an opinion piece published by Al Jazeera. It's not uncommon in academia.

garbagecoder 4y ago

Gas not oil, but the point remains.

thinking4real 4y ago

Yea, instead we should trust the people who invested trillions into “green” energy to remind us how cities are falling into the ocean and how we are doomed unless we do what they say (no matter how little those changes affect the data they are presenting as evidence they are right) Honestly, there’s been a lot of lies and fraud in the green movement. There’s never any suggestion that our actions will produce specific results in a measurable way. We’re just always being fed one fear mongering tactic after another. carbon offsets being a lie. most recycling being dumped. corporations having unfettered plastic usage while you’re demanded to use a paper straw… Face it, at this point big oil has a more honest reputation.

jacooper 4y ago

Al Jazeera generally has editorial freedom. I would generally trust Al Jazeera about anything apart from news about Qatar, simply because unlike western networks Al-Jazeera doesn't have to care about pleasing advertisers, and its evident in their honest Palestinian coverage(their reporters paid their lives for it). They are only second to the BBC in terms of how many stations they have. This video has details about how Al Jazeera works, and how a rare combination of state goals end up in probably the regions best journalism, to the point other middle eastern countries boycotted Qatar to try to stop Al Jazeera. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKx7TPGttSk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKx7TPGttSk

mr90210 4y ago

Your first take is a straight ad hominem instead of going counter-arguing then content itself. Yes they might be state-funded, but are they claiming accurately?