Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali told the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly currently under way that fossil fuels are a necessary means of energy while the world transitions to more sustainable means; and the fossil fuel industry should not be penalized or treated unfairly as the world moves away from that sector. This is in contrast to the UN Secretary-General’s opening remarks to the Assembly that the fossil fuel industry is responsible for a large share of planet-warming gases and is ‘feasting on hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies and windfall profits while household budgets shrink and our planet burns’. The Secretary-General called on all developed economies to tax the windfall profits of fossil fuel companies and redirect the funds garnered to countries suffering loss and damage caused by climate change and to people struggling with rising food and energy prices. We must state that we entirely agree with the Secretary-General’s statement.
