After a hollow climate conference in Dubai, under whose sand lies a mother lode of fossil fuels, hope is hanging by a thread to reverse our climate crisis.
The United States, whose President Biden has declared a climate emergency, produced a record level of oil and natural gas in 2023. Biden is seemingly suffering from schizophrenia, having approved the Willow drilling project in Alaska, and according to the New York Times, the Prez is considering approval of natural gas export terminals which would assure decades of producing methane, a potent cause of global warming.
This all comes after Congress passed and Biden signed The Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, a bill with the most environmental provisions since the 1970s. It provides tax credits for buying electric cars which will reduce pollution. The IRA also commits $60 billion to clean up toxic waste dumps and fight pollution in low-income areas, which have been long-neglected. Good luck reconciling these contradictions in old Joe Biden!
A happy thing in 2023 was the court victory of a case brought by children and young adults against the state of Montana for promoting the use of fossil fuels, which harm them, instead of Montana following its duty by protecting them as the state constitution requires. California also brought suit against the big oil companies for downplaying the risks that global warming poses to the public. Whether or not these cases win after appeals, it’s still a positive trend.
A scary prospect for the Earth in 2024 is Donald Trump getting elected President again. Authoritarians worldwide prefer profit over planet and Trump fits the mold. If he’s re-elected, expect lax to zero enforcement of US environmental laws. Good-bye Endangered Species Act, good-bye Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act, good-bye environmental justice for people of color. Good-bye cooperation with other countries to reduce the climate crisis.
In a desperate lunge for the positive, I clicked on happyeconews.com. The site claims that the ocean itself could reduce the climate crisis causing the ocean temperatures to rise. Citing research from the United Nations Inter-governmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC), the ocean can provide under-used methods like wind, waves, tidal, thermal and algae to deliver about 35% of the emission reductions required to meet the goal of holding global temp rise to 1.5 degrees Centigrade. All that it would take is leaders more concerned with the planet’s health than with pleasing their rich supporters. Simple, right?
The IPCC report lists ocean shipping with its massive use of fossil fuels that could be drastically reduced by using more efficient routing and methods. And the report cites over-fishing as a way that puts the seas out of balance with its natural process of carbon reduction and diminishes the production of oxygen for the atmosphere. So bringing the fishing down to safe sustainable levels would benefit the oceans and the Earth writ large.
Another plus for the new year is battery technology rapidly improving for electric vehicles, including everything from lawn mowers (terrible polluters) to jet aircraft (also terrible polluters). Some cities are banning plastic bags and some stores are voluntarily leading the change to reusable bags.
Vegetarian alternatives are abounding to replace the cruel and carbon-heavy meat industry. Many people find them tasty and reasonably priced. The other day I had vegan eggs to make my omelette and I liked it.
Such changes are little examples of how we all can help to lower the damage we’re doing to our world. Macro changes like government and corporate policies matter greatly and we can influence those thru our votes and voices. Micro changes like our choices in food and fuel matter greatly also, and that puts us in the driver’s seat as we steer into the new year.
Frank Lingo, based in Lawrence, Kansas, is a former columnist for the Kansas City Star and author of the novel “Earth Vote.” Email: lingofrank@gmail.com.
From The Progressive Populist, February 1, 2024
Blog | Current Issue | Back Issues | Essays | Links
About the Progressive Populist | How to Subscribe | How to Contact Us