Badara

[Drax]

MAJLIS RATIFIES ENVIRONMENTAL TREATY
 
MANARA  ALBRAYD SRIA AL-MUSAMI
(If it’s in the Monsoon, it’s got to be true)
 
Foreign Ministry, November 17, 5679:  The Monsoon asked Foreign Minister Abdul Aziz whether ratification of the International Treaty on Emissions Reduction and Ecological Transition means that Jumhuriat al-Badara will be abandoning crude oil extraction, petroleum refining and the gasoline powered vehicle, and the Foreign Minister replied:
 

Understand why you would ask; much of rebuilding our economy and supporting the safety net comes from oil profits.  So simply walking away from exploitation of our massive oil reserves might well cripple our efforts in that regard.
 
We do recognize that greenhouse gases and industrial waste have and will harm the environment of all Terra and if left unchecked on the same trajectory the effect will ultimately be fatal.
 
So what are we actually going to do.  Well, a number of things.  Oil extraction and refining will be handled in as environmentally sound a fashion as possible including producing liquefied natural gas with a closed loop rather than open loop system.  Vehicles will need to be engineered for less emissions.
 
Closed arc production of steel will continue as will the ban on open pit mining except perhaps for gravel.
 
Most of our electricity is produced hydroelectrically.  This will be augmented by solar panels and some wind farms.  Absent a dependable source of certain rare earths necessary for large wind mills, wind farms will not be a major source of energy.  If we get an opportunity to develop nuclear power plants we will. 
 
In the past we have begun development of electric and bio fuel powered vehicles.  These will be revived initially in the agricultural sector and in public transportation. We feel in the long run many of our small trucks could be powered by one or the other.
 
We do not see petroleum based energy departing the scene any time soon, but are pledging to mitigate the effects and develop other sources since transition to less petroleum use is occurring and will continue.

Foreign Minister Aziz