POLITICIANS CAPTURED BY THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY ARE ACCELERATING THE EARTH’S DEMISE

 

The Summer of 2022 will be remembered as the season when global temperature records were broken systematically.   When more temperature records were broken in more places than ever before.   All the way across Europe and the UK records are being shattered as wildfires wreak havoc upon the natural and the built environment.  China, India and the USA have also broken heat records and there is no let-up in sight.  (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/with-record-breaking-heat-europe-glimpses-its-climate-future/)

 

The environments in cities and towns are increasingly becoming hostile to human habitation and this will lead to more migration.   

 

How has this come about?

 

We are living in the Anthropocene geological age  – the period in earth’s history when Man has made a significant impact on the environment.    It started (in earnest) at the time of the Industrial revolution when the energy that could be unlocked from fossil fuels (most notably coal) unleashed a very long period of rapid economic growth (about two centuries ) which was great for human development and living standards but with dire consequences for the atmosphere and the environment in general.  

 

The combustion of fossil fuels are the single biggest contributor to global warming through the release of greenhouse gases (GHG) like Carbon Dioxide (CO2).     The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has gone from 280 ppm ( pre-industrial era) to about 412 ppm today with the trajectory of growth ever steepening.    There is scientific consensus that this increase in GHG’s is the single biggest cause of climate change which has manifested in more extreme weather events, more often.

 

The fossil fuel industry has been incredibly profitable – with a recent analysis showing that the oil sector made a staggering $3bn-a-day profit for the last 50 years.  (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/21/revealed-oil-sectors-staggering-profits-last-50-years)

 

These profits have allowed for the creation of a super wealthy elite who are able to influence the policies of Governments - to ensure their industries can continue unhindered and unburdened by regulatory constraints.   One of the most high-profile examples of this is that of the US senator Joe Manchin -  

 who has made millions of dollars through his founding of a coal-trading company in his home state of West Virginia.   He has sunk fellow Democrat and US president Joe Biden’s hopes of passing a major bill to combat the climate crisis. ( https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/16/joe-manchin-biden-climate-democrats-climate-plans)

 

Manchin is dangerously conflicted due to his own investments in fossil fuels (his coal firm, Enersystems, made him about $500,000 in 2020, more than double his Senate salary) and that his judgement has been warped by the largesse of the industry, which has donated more money to him than any other senator.

 

“ For years, Manchin has justified voting against curbs on the burning of fossil fuels and other measures to tackle the climate crisis on the grounds that they were bad for West Virginia, whose economy and culture are rooted in coal mining. Last year, he used his vote in a hung US Senate to block President Biden’s $3.5tn economic plan in part because he said he was “very, very disturbed” that its climate provisions would kill the coal industry.”  ( https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/31/joe-manchin-hold-climate-policy-hostage-to-benefit-his-financial-interests)

 

If we are to tackle the climate emergency with any hope of impact on reducing GHG emissions than Government policies need to change – and change fast.    There also need to be provisions to combat conflicts of interest - for example any politician with a vested interest in ANY industry should recuse themselves when voting on any issuing affecting that industry.   Not just the fossil fuel industry.  

 

Politicians will need to step up to the plate and start taking tough decisions that are not popular in the short term.   But if we are to have any hope of arresting earth’s rapid path to climate disaster then politicians need to act now.   Citizens of the world need to elect politicians who will act.    Australia got rid of Morrison – now the citizens of other countries like Brazil, India and Russian need to get rid of their politicians who are also sabotaging the planet.

Location: London, UK

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