I think it goes beyond the fossil fuel companies. There are also...

I think it goes beyond the fossil fuel companies. There are also the petro-states in the middle east, South America, and of course Russia counts as a petro state. These are countries whose power structures and financial operations have been established symbiotically with their fossil fuel industries. Kleptocratic leaders make sure their grip on power, their wealth and the success of fossil fuels are all moving forward in lock step. Putin also has his political interference operation (e.g. the well-known troll farm called the "Internet Research Agency") pumping out pro FF misinformation and running black ops. The US is too big and complex to be counted as a petro-state, but certain political elements there are up to the same shenanigans and it's no coincidence that a lot of them are suspiciously pro-Russian, e.g. Tucker Carlson, founder of The Daily Caller, giving a softball interview to Putin. Oh, waddyaknow, some of the zealous combatants here on Hotcopper are quoting all that bilge. The Democrats are also addicted to fossil fuels, Biden has increased FF extraction. He also has a conflict because the US car industry seems incapable of competing with China in EVs and the Auto Workers Union is important for his re-election. I think he is also mindful of a Teal type movement being even worse for him, so the transition policies, like the recent emissions limits, are still progressing.

Trump, who loves Putin and Saudi Arabia, is also a climate denier and is even worse with his "drill baby drill" when he is a dictator on day one... a kind of petro-state aspiration.