Biden’s (and the World’s) Imperiled Climate Agenda

Today, April 1st, we witness the horror of a war in Ukraine — another war that has delivered a profound, grievous setback to humanity’s need for mutual security in an existential nuclear era compounded by climate crisis

 

Oil-Gas Again at Forefront of War & Security

‘Hard power’ security strategies continuing in the 21st Century threaten the security of all

 

On Thursday (March 31st), President Biden said he would release one million barrels of oil a day from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for as long as 180 days to help bring down global oil prices. The scale and duration of such a release would be historic. The United States also plans to increase exports of natural gas to help Europe wean itself from Russian supplies. Environmentalists are concerned that both of those moves will lead to more domestic drilling at a moment when scientists say nations must sharply and quickly cut fossil fuel use.

The president used the announcement about the petroleum reserve to make a plea for his stymied climate legislation, saying that he was boosting gas and oil supplies to deal with an immediate crisis but that the country’s long term energy independence should be rooted in wind, solar and other renewable sources that are insulated from global market fluctuations.”

“Ultimately, we and the whole world need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels altogether,” Mr. Biden said. “We need to choose long-term security over energy and climate vulnerability. We need to double down on our commitment to clean energy and tackling the climate crisis with our partners and allies around the world. And we can do that by passing my plan that’s literally before the Senate right now, the United States Congress right now.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/01/climate/biden-climate-change.html

 

Deep Cost, Costs of War