Why Is the 'Climate President' Approving More Oil Drilling?
Something doesn't compute here.
Last week, President Obama rightly declared in his State of the Union address: "No challenge poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change."
This week, the Obama administration announced plans open up the Atlantic Ocean to oil and gas drilling and offer more lease sales in the sensitive Arctic waters off Alaska. Ramping up offshore drilling will not only raise the risk of disastrous oil spills and threats to wildlife, but will also deepen our dependence on the very fossil fuels driving us into the global climate crisis.
Here's the thing about dealing with global warming: You can't say you want to make it better and then do the opposite. Rhetoric won't curb carbon dioxide emissions and poetic speeches won't stop the seas from rising and the planet from warming.
Producing and burning what's believed to be recoverable oil and gas in the Arctic Ocean could release 15.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere - that'd be like adding the equivalent of nine years' pollution of all the cars, trucks, airplanes and other forms of transportation in the United States.
That's taking us in exactly the wrong direction.
Climate scientists tell us we need to reduce carbon in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million to avoid catastrophic, irreversible impacts. Today it's hovering at around 400 parts per million, so we have a long way to go.
The clock is ticking though. The decisions we make now about fossil fuels and energy development will have massive repercussions for future generations - coasts swallowed by rising oceans, dangerously warm temperatures, droughts, food shortages, deadly weather events, wildlife extinctions, the list goes one. We can still avert the worst that climate change will bring but the window for action is rapidly closing. And once it's shut, there's no going back.
President Obama ought to be banning offshore drilling in the Arctic and along the Atlantic coasts, not giving them new life. It's a disappointing and troubling move that casts a long shadow over his promises to finally tackle this crisis.
Yes, the oil and gas industries will be thrilled to sink their drills into these pristine places but the rest of us - people and wildlife today and tomorrow - will be left coping with a planet suffering from the terrible cost of policies that valued profit and greed over all else.
We can do better. And we must, before it's too late.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Something doesn't compute here.
Last week, President Obama rightly declared in his State of the Union address: "No challenge poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change."
This week, the Obama administration announced plans open up the Atlantic Ocean to oil and gas drilling and offer more lease sales in the sensitive Arctic waters off Alaska. Ramping up offshore drilling will not only raise the risk of disastrous oil spills and threats to wildlife, but will also deepen our dependence on the very fossil fuels driving us into the global climate crisis.
Here's the thing about dealing with global warming: You can't say you want to make it better and then do the opposite. Rhetoric won't curb carbon dioxide emissions and poetic speeches won't stop the seas from rising and the planet from warming.
Producing and burning what's believed to be recoverable oil and gas in the Arctic Ocean could release 15.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere - that'd be like adding the equivalent of nine years' pollution of all the cars, trucks, airplanes and other forms of transportation in the United States.
That's taking us in exactly the wrong direction.
Climate scientists tell us we need to reduce carbon in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million to avoid catastrophic, irreversible impacts. Today it's hovering at around 400 parts per million, so we have a long way to go.
The clock is ticking though. The decisions we make now about fossil fuels and energy development will have massive repercussions for future generations - coasts swallowed by rising oceans, dangerously warm temperatures, droughts, food shortages, deadly weather events, wildlife extinctions, the list goes one. We can still avert the worst that climate change will bring but the window for action is rapidly closing. And once it's shut, there's no going back.
President Obama ought to be banning offshore drilling in the Arctic and along the Atlantic coasts, not giving them new life. It's a disappointing and troubling move that casts a long shadow over his promises to finally tackle this crisis.
Yes, the oil and gas industries will be thrilled to sink their drills into these pristine places but the rest of us - people and wildlife today and tomorrow - will be left coping with a planet suffering from the terrible cost of policies that valued profit and greed over all else.
We can do better. And we must, before it's too late.
Something doesn't compute here.
Last week, President Obama rightly declared in his State of the Union address: "No challenge poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change."
This week, the Obama administration announced plans open up the Atlantic Ocean to oil and gas drilling and offer more lease sales in the sensitive Arctic waters off Alaska. Ramping up offshore drilling will not only raise the risk of disastrous oil spills and threats to wildlife, but will also deepen our dependence on the very fossil fuels driving us into the global climate crisis.
Here's the thing about dealing with global warming: You can't say you want to make it better and then do the opposite. Rhetoric won't curb carbon dioxide emissions and poetic speeches won't stop the seas from rising and the planet from warming.
Producing and burning what's believed to be recoverable oil and gas in the Arctic Ocean could release 15.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere - that'd be like adding the equivalent of nine years' pollution of all the cars, trucks, airplanes and other forms of transportation in the United States.
That's taking us in exactly the wrong direction.
Climate scientists tell us we need to reduce carbon in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million to avoid catastrophic, irreversible impacts. Today it's hovering at around 400 parts per million, so we have a long way to go.
The clock is ticking though. The decisions we make now about fossil fuels and energy development will have massive repercussions for future generations - coasts swallowed by rising oceans, dangerously warm temperatures, droughts, food shortages, deadly weather events, wildlife extinctions, the list goes one. We can still avert the worst that climate change will bring but the window for action is rapidly closing. And once it's shut, there's no going back.
President Obama ought to be banning offshore drilling in the Arctic and along the Atlantic coasts, not giving them new life. It's a disappointing and troubling move that casts a long shadow over his promises to finally tackle this crisis.
Yes, the oil and gas industries will be thrilled to sink their drills into these pristine places but the rest of us - people and wildlife today and tomorrow - will be left coping with a planet suffering from the terrible cost of policies that valued profit and greed over all else.
We can do better. And we must, before it's too late.