Here's where this gets a little surreal. There is, in some of the world's poorest nations, a revolution going on. This revolution is bringing jobs, resources, raising the standard of living in these countries beyond what the locals may have imagined a few years ago. But the climate scolds don't want the people who live in these poverty-striken countries to have these jobs or this economic boom.

Why? Because it comes from gas and oil development. At RealClearEnergy, CO2 Coalition Science and Research Associate Vijay Jayaraj has the details.

Nations once relegated to the margins of economic discourse are now sprinting toward prosperity, their trajectories propelled by a single, unifying force: energy.

Energy is indispensable. From the huge AI data centers in the U.S. to the mega-scale manufacturing factories in China, affordable and dependable energy supplies make all the difference between living and thriving.

Access to domestic energy resources – or the ability to secure imports – unlocks a cascade of opportunity: Jobs multiply, infrastructure rises, and governments gain the fiscal muscle to invest in their people.

Oil and gas, derided by climate elites as relics of a bygone era, are proving instead to be the engines of a new dawn. A cohort of nations is charting a radically different course fueled by the unyielding pragmatism of hydrocarbon exploitation.

These are economic booms, we might note, that solar and wind power won't bring these nations. The world is hungry for affordable, high-density energy, and every barrel of oil, every cubic foot of natural gas put into the market increases the supply, which has the effect of lowering price.

Here are four of the countries that are seeing this renaissance:

Guyana: From Obscurity to Oil Juggernaut

Nestled along South America’s northern coast, Guyana was once an afterthought in global economic discourse. Today, it is the world’s fastest-growing economy, with gross domestic product (GDP) skyrocketing by a staggering 63% in 2022 and 38% in 2023. It is projected to grow another 27% this year.

These are pretty impressive economic numbers. Guyana is a small nation tucked into South America's northeast coast, between Venezuela, Brazil, and Suriname. With a population of under a million people, any GDP change could dramatically affect the lifestyle of individual Guyanans. But not as much as in Niger:

Niger: Africa’s Pipeline to Prosperity

Half a world away, in the arid expanses of West Africa, Niger is scripting a similar tale. Long known for uranium and subsistence farming, this landlocked nation is poised to ride an oil boom that could redefine its future.

The key? The Niger-Benin pipeline, a 1,212-mile conduit that promises to ferry crude from Niger’s Agadem Rift Basin to the Atlantic coast. After diplomatic hiccups with Benin were resolved in August 2024, production was expected to surge past 110,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the coming years. GDP is forecast to soar as a result.

Niger, more properly called the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in north-central Africa, with almost 27 million citizens. They are now one of Africa's bright spots, thanks to not only oil but also liquid natural gas (LNG) exports. Niger's per capita income is $630/annum; they have a long way to go, but energy development could be a big boost. And to the west of Niger is Senegal:

Senegal: Gas Lights the Way Forward

Further west, Senegal is joining the energy-driven renaissance. The Sangomar oil field, which began production in June 2024, and the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) natural gas project, straddling the Senegal-Mauritania border, are rewriting the nation’s economic playbook.

In 2024, the Sangomar field exceeded its initial target, producing 16.9 million barrels of crude oil compared to the planned 11.7 million. With oil output exceeding 100,000 bpd and GTA is poised to deliver liquefied natural gas (LNG) to global markets, Senegal’s GDP growth is projected to hit double digits in 2025, among the highest in Africa.

With 18 million people and a per capita income average of $1,714/annum, Senegal has a lot to gain from the ongoing oil and gas boom as well. And there's one more boom going on, in Ivory Coast (Côte D’Ivoire):

Côte D’Ivoire: Diversification Through Hydrocarbons

Côte D’Ivoire, long reliant on cocoa and coffee, is emerging as West Africa’s quiet energy giant. The country has exceeded initial estimates for production from its Baleine oil and gas field.

Oil production has doubled since 2020 to 60,000 bpd, while natural gas – supplying 72% of the nation’s electricity – has lured industries from across the region. The country plans to reach 200,000 barrels of oil per day and 450 million cubic feet of gas daily by 2028.

Ivory Coast is doing a little better than Senegal now, with 31 million people and an annual income average of almost $7,000/annum. 

These are, however, nations that the climate scolds would just as soon keep poor.

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"Clean" energy sources - wind, solar - can't replace the income streams these countries are seeing from gas and oil development. For one thing, it would require massive subsidies from the developed world to convert the economies and the energy systems of these countries; they can't and won't do it on their own, not when they have ample oil and gas resources. The development, as well, does much more than just providing cheap, abundant energy; the mostly first-world oil and gas companies that come in to do the development will hire local workers, they will build infrastructure to enable them to reach and extract resources, and they will pour currency into the local economies.

It's a win-win for these nations who have, through most of their history, been very poor places.

And these are the people that the climate-change Chicken Littles would prefer to stay poor, to stay in a third-world economy.

Some "compassion."