HOUSTON: Pointing to the still paltry share of renewable energy in global supply, the head of Saudi Aramco described the current energy transition strategy as a misguided failure on Monday. “In the real world, the current transition strategy is visibly failing on most fronts,” Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Amin Nasser said at the CERAWeek conference in Houston.

Fossil fuels accounted for 82 percent of global consumption last year, according to a report from consultancy KPMG cited by Nasser, who noted that the International Energy Agency has said oil demand could hit a record this year. “This is hardly the future picture some have been painting,” Nasser said. “All of this strengthens the view that big oil and gas is unlikely for some time to come out, let alone in 2050,” added Nasser, alluding to a medium-term target that has been seen as a potential phaseout date for crude. Nasser called for policies more in tune with the “real world”.

While alternative energy can reduce emissions, “when the world does focus on reducing emission from hydrocarbons, it achieves much better results,” Nasser said. He said the world should “abandon the fantasy of phasing out oil and gas and instead invest in them adequately reflecting realistic demand assumptions”. — AFP