Scientists

Let’s talk about climate change –

Scientists predict that we need to stop burning fossil fuels completely by 2050 in order to prevent catastrophe. We are literally in danger of making our planet inhabitable.

That means we need to begin converting to clean energy yesterday. The clock is ticking and we are doing very little to prevent this disaster. Obama did far too little to mitigate this problem. The “transition” to natural gas was totally unneeded; we currently have all the technology needed to create 100% of our energy needs from clean sources, we lack the political will. The “bridge” fuel of natural gas was just a capitulation to the oil and gas companies ensuring them another few decades of obscene profits. Companies like Energy Transfer Partners, Transcanada, or Kinder Morgan aren’t going to invest billions in a pipeline with the expectation that it is temporary. These are long term investments that they expect to use for 50 years.

Despite Obama’s failures on the climate, the Paris Accord was a step in the right direction. Although it was non binding (which makes it toothless), it was the first major break through in which almost the entire planet agreed to take action. Backing out of this agreement is an absolute embarrassment to our country, and proves that we are no longer a world leader. Trump and the GOP are powered off of fuel, and that fuel is the oil and gas industry’s donations. The Koch brothers and their ilk are never going to voluntarily stop exploiting the planet in order to save it. The GOP and Trump are a suicidal death cult, and they’re forcing us to all drink the kool aid.

It’s past time to take serious action on climate change, especially after the damage Trump and a full GOP congress will do. No more talk of transitions or bridge fuels. We must commit to 100% clean energy by 2050. We must immediately demand –

1) all oil and gas company dividend payments over the next decade go to investments in clean energy, not shareholders

2) all oil, gas, and coal reserves within the United States are off limits unless emergency situations arrive after this decade closes.

3) a tax on fossil fuels from mining, to processing, to burning. All tax revenue must be deposited in a green energy bank in which all funds go directly to clean energy investments.

With these three steps we would create millions of well paying jobs while saving the planet and our futures. All it will take is for the people to stand up and demand it!


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