"Expensive gas is a financial hardship, but more oil is a climate disaster. The gas price flux shows us about why we should already be weaned off fossil fuels."
"On Wednesday, the White House asked the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to pump more oil in hopes of stemming the rise in gas prices in the United States.
President Joe Biden administration’s request to increase production of a major source of planet-heating pollution came just days after the United Nations issued a dire new report on climate change, which begs the question: Is the president denying the reality of the global emissions crisis?
Biden’s seven-month tenure abounds with climate contradictions. On the one hand, the Democrat has blocked a major pipeline project, revived U.S. carbon diplomacy, and requested unprecedented levels of climate spending from Congress. On the other, he’s charged ahead with other pipelines, approved more than 2,000 permits to drill for oil and gas on public lands, cut a coal company’s royalty payments, and asked Congress for significantly less money than experts say is needed to rapidly cut emissions. In short, he’s doing more than ever before on climate, and still very far from enough."
Alexander C. Kaufman and Chris D’Angelo report for HuffPost August 11, 2021.
