The international community must act immediately to ensure that all countries reduce their consumption of fossil fuels such as gas, oil and coal. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give your own opinion.

There are many proponents of global reduction in the usage of conventional non renewable sources of energy such as natural gas, crude oil and its derivatives, and coal. While there is no doubt that this step has to be taken for the secure future of the human race, it cannot be done without giving thought to its consequences and viability as challenging the status quo is in itself a mammoth task. Primarily, due to rising global temperature caused by emission of greenhouse gases, the need to reduce carbon footprint is being felt worldwide. Combustion of fossil fuels is the principal reason for this phenomenon which has resulted in unpredictable and extreme change in climate patterns the world over causing disaster. Import of crude oil from oil rich countries, in addition, places a heavy burden on the finances of non oil - producing nations dwindling their foreign currency reserves. This money can instead be diverted to building and strengthening infrastructure, providing social benefits, education and healthcare. Finally, if such policy is imposed by authorities, it can result in development and rollout of eco-friendly aternatives like electric car and hydrogen cells. However, when it comes to actually implementing this harsh step, most governments are reluctant as it is majorly unpopular among the citizens because no one wants to sacrifice their comfort. The international environmental organisations, often funded by developed nations, insist on equal reduction across all the countries of the world which sounds grand but is not grounded in reality as the principle of equity calls for greater austerity among developed nations over the developing countries as they have already reaped the fruit of industrialization at great environmental cost. Also, it is not feasible for a developing country to make drastic deduction in the usage of fossil fuels as they face lot of challenges like absence of electrification in remote areas, large scale energy deficit and population explosion. In conclusion, all countries must strive to achieve self imposed targets and move slowly towards restoring balance to the environment, the international community must remain united and sensitive to every country's needs and circumstances by sharing information and technology so that we may preserve the Earth for the future generations.