1 UNITED STATES
Oil production set to break record s despite climate aim
The United States is poised to extract more oil and gas than ever before in 2023, a year that is certain to be the hottest ever recorded, providing a daunting backdrop to the Cop28 climate summit that started this week.
The US’s status as the world’s leading oil and gas behemoth has strengthened this year, even amid warnings from Joe Biden over the unfolding climate crisis, with the latest federal government forecast showing a record 12.9m barrels of crude oil, more than double what was produced a decade ago, will be extracted in 2023.
Records will also be broken this year for gas production, with a glut of new export terminals on the Gulf of Mexico coast facilitating a boom that will see US exports of liquefied natural gas (or LNG) double in the next four years.
Tellingly, the US government expects this frenzy of oil and gas activity to continue at near-record levels right up to 2050, a point at which scientists say planet-heating emissions must be eliminated to avoid catastrophic climate breakdown. A third of the world’s planned oil and gas expansion in this period will occur in the US, a recent report found.
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2 NETHERLANDS
Wilders vows to become PM after election success
Anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders vowed to be prime minister of the Netherlands, after an election in which his party won the most seats.
In a post on X that expressed frustration at other parties for their unwillingness to cooperate with his Freedom party (PVV), Wilders said he would “continue to moderate” his positions if necessary to gain power.
“Today, tomorrow or the day after, the PVV will be part of government and I will be prime minister of this beautiful country,” Wilders wrote.
Although PVV finished well ahead of rivals in the 22 November vote, the party is forecast to take only
