The boss of Repsol says we still need fossil fuels. Josu Jon Imaz thinks it’s the company’s “moral responsibility” to keep making diesel.
He said this at a business meeting in Gipuzkoa. Imaz wants a careful transition to cleaner energy. He thinks we need all types of energy to reduce carbon emissions.
We can’t just stop using fossil fuels. Imaz said diesel “saved this country”. He wants a balanced approach to energy.
What’s the problem?
Europe lost its balance. It didn’t focus on the “energy trilemma”. This means finding a balance between:
- Having enough energy
- Energy being affordable
- Making energy in a cleaner way
In the last six years, Europe lost 12% of its high-energy companies. This was due to high energy costs. Now Europe relies on Russian gas and Chinese materials.
Imaz thinks Europe made a mistake by prioritizing ecology over energy strategy. He said we need policies that focus on energy, not just the environment.
We need energy policies that focus on energy, not just ecology.
Imaz also talked about other fossil fuels. He said we need to keep making gas for industry and kerosene for air travel. But we must do this in a more sustainable way.
Descarbonization doesn’t mean getting rid of old technologies. It means making them work together with new ones in a responsible way.