Hannes Bergthaller argues in Fossil Freedoms; The politics of emancipation and the end of oil, how petroleum has become integral to our way of life. Bergthaller suggests that we should instead work on finding new modes of development for us to stop exploiting the environment by using fossil fuels for modernity. Petromodernity is a way to describe a society reliant on cheap energy, which is made possible by fossil fuels. Bergthaller defines petromodernity as a phase within the fossil fuel regime, which is the mass consumption of fossil fuels from industrial sites to day-to-day life. In a way, our addiction to advancement has enslaved us to a life centered around the “liberal dissipation of energy”.[1] Our freedoms are certainly bound by oil, the same way the sovereignty of earlier humans were bound by their limited ways of life. This blog post will argue that it is paradoxical of human freedom; oil allows us to feel different forms of freedom by cheap means but is it freedom because we are not acting independently in the world? If we move away from dependency on oil, we will lose certain perks from society. To connect this to Qatar, we can see a system of reliance on petroleum that Qatar’s government has been trying to minimize. Still it has been a challenge to adopt an environmentally friendly lifestyle because of the state’s nature.
The domination of petroculture in Qatar is prevalent as it is a rentier state. A rentier state is one that is paid for with the money accumulated through oil or gas rent to the rest of the world. A rentier state’s innate nature harms development because it is a system of domination with no democracy. Bergthaller states that democracy is the right candidate for post-petromodernity, and due to Qatar’s authoritarian regime with an absolute monarchy, it is not a suitable candidate for post-petromodernity. Bergthaller states, “…democracy did not begin with fossil fuels, there is no reason to believe that it will end with them.” he defends it only because it predated the fossil fuel regime.[2] Fossil fuels are necessary for the state to stay afloat; a sudden shift to post-petromodernity will destroy Qatar’s economy. “When the oil runs out… the entire elaborate artifice of modern society will collapse like a house of cards”.[3] The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy is trying to make a difference in Qatar. They are doing that by creating stadiums for the World Cup 2022 that are less reliant on fossil fuels and focus on more sustainable construction. The stadiums will be the first prototype-like beginning for Qatar’s environmentally friendly venture.
All of the SC’s stadiums are on track to achieving at least four stars on their certificate from the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS).[4] The GSAS is a system in the Middle East and North African region developed by the Gulf Organization for Research and Development (GORD) for rating eco-friendly infrastructures.[5] They are judged against incredibly meticulous criteria with a perfect score of six stars. The assessment system includes various categories for both design and build, such as; Urban Connectivity, Site, Energy, Water, Materials, Indoor Environment, Culture and Economic Value, and Management and Operations.[6] The Khalifa International Stadium and Al Janoub Stadium have received four stars on their GSAS certification in 2017 and 2019, respectively. The Education City Stadium and Al Bayt Stadium have received five stars on their GSAS certification in 2020[7]. They have only been increasing their ability to rate higher with time due to their commitment to sustainability.
The SC has proved that it is deconstructing that reliance on oil and gas and reformulating our petroculture into a sustainable and environmentally friendly culture. Bergthaller’s argument is that modernity will not occur without fossil fuels because modernity stands on the use of fossil fuels. To move past that regime, we will have to reformulate our understanding of freedom. Freedom is defined as the ability to have power over one’s own body and circumstances. Petromodernity created that freedom in which an individual had the authority to live autonomously, fabricating a sort of faux self-reliance. As Bergthaller concluded, “Freedom is a mansion with many rooms. With proper precautions, some of them will remain habitable even after fossil fuels are gone”.[8]
Works Cited:
“Environmental Sustainability.” See You In 2022. Accessed October 28, 2020. https://www.qatar2022.qa/en/about/sustainability/environmental.
“GSAS Overview.” GORD. Accessed October 29, 2020. https://www.gord.qa/trust-gsas-resource-center-overview.
“GSAS Scoring Sheet.” GSAS. GORD . Accessed October 29, 2020. https://gordqa-my.sharepoint.com/:x:/g/personal/info_gord_qa/EaPfpY2waWVBks_LLTP2RPIBY0V2kpSZgEHApuLwqVke5g?e=U7gPuz.
Hannes Bergthaller. “Fossil Freedoms.” Essay. In The Routledge Companion to the Environmental Humanities, 424–30. London ; New York: Routledge, Taylor et Francis Group, 2017.
[1] Hannes Bergthaller. “Fossil Freedoms.” Essay. In The Routledge Companion to the Environmental Humanities, 424–30. London ; New York: Routledge, Taylor et Francis Group, 2017. Page 430
[2] Ibid Page 430
[3] Ibid Page 426
[4] “Environmental Sustainability.” See You In 2022. Accessed October 28, 2020. https://www.qatar2022.qa/en/about/sustainability/environmental.
[5] “GSAS Overview.” GORD. Accessed October 29, 2020. https://www.gord.qa/trust-gsas-resource-center-overview.
[6] “GSAS Scoring Sheet.” GSAS. GORD . Accessed October 29, 2020. https://gordqa-my.sharepoint.com/:x:/g/personal/info_gord_qa/EaPfpY2waWVBks_LLTP2RPIBY0V2kpSZgEHApuLwqVke5g?e=U7gPuz.
[7] “Environmental Sustainability.” See You In 2022. Accessed October 28, 2020. https://www.qatar2022.qa/en/about/sustainability/environmental.
[8] Hannes Bergthaller. “Fossil Freedoms.” Essay. In The Routledge Companion to the Environmental Humanities, 424–30. London ; New York: Routledge, Taylor et Francis Group, 2017. Page 430
