The Obama administration made it clear in 2014 that acting to tackle the climate crisis must be a national priority. President Obama and his administration have done more than any other to combat the climate crisis and have promised additional action to move our country in the right direction. Just in the past two years the Obama administration has seen renewable energy production soar with growing investment in solar and wind. However, the administration also continues to pursue an “all of the above” energy strategy that lifts up gas, a fossil fuel. This strategy is hampering the United States’ efforts to take meaningful action against climate change and leave all fossil fuels where they belong: in the past. Make no mistake - gas, like other fossil fuels oil and coal, is a dirty form of energy. With the 2015 deadline for an internationally binding treaty rapidly approaching, the United States must act on its promises and hold true to keep all dirty fuels in the ground to mitigate catastrophic climate disruption.
It was only a little over a month ago that President Obama released a joint statement with China’s President Xi Jinping announcing that the two countries had come to a bilateral agreement committing to mitigate their emissions. While the ambitions themselves outlined in the targets of each country were lower than necessary to stabilize the climate, the announcement set a clear statement that combatting climate disruption is an important issue for these two major economies as they headed to the twentiethConference of the Parties, COP20, in Lima, Peru that occurred during the first two weeks of December 2014. The momentum moving into COP20 was high for all countries involved. But while that conference concluded with another step forward in the process to the increasingly important COP21 negotiations next year in Paris, both the U.S. and China did not live up to their ambitions.
While the United States and China are both proclaiming that they will lead the way in climate change mitigation, an increased reliance on natural gas stands in the way of those goals -- and other deals happening outside of these climate conferences would only make things much worse. Many countries, like the United States,Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan are involved in the development of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or (TPP), a secretive free-trade deal that would vastly expand LNG exports out of the United States.
What is concerning about LNG? First, the overall emissions from natural gas,particularly those generated during extraction such as methane, are a threat to the health of our climate that cannot be ignored. Second, the process of exporting LNG is dangerous and has a more carbon-intensive life cycle given the need for cooling, liquefaction, and storing for shipping. Third, fracking as a practice is damaging our lands and public health through contamination of air and water with over 600 types of carcinogenic chemicals being used in the extraction process. Fourth, the American public needs to know the true intentions behind scaling up the production of natural gas, especially LNG. Don’t be deceived - the main purpose of expanding the production of LNG is to export it overseas, not expand domestic energy independence or affordability. To boot, the Trans-Pacific Partnership will only increase climate impacts and environmental destruction.
As we move into the new year, it is time to set the agenda for 2015. With the state of New York setting a historic precedent by banning hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, at the tail end of December, there is hope for the rest of the country to keep dirty fuels in the ground.But despite the progress of both the United States’ and China’s climate commitments, there is still far too much reliance on dirty fossil fuels in both countries. If fracked gas ends up leading in energy development in both countries, it would be hugely problematic for our climate -- but thanks to activists and concerned citizens around the world, the future of natural gas is far from certain. In order to combat climate disruption, we’re going to need real plans that keeps dirty fuels in the ground.
So, while we thank President Obama for making climate a priority in 2014, there is still much more to do. In 2015, these commitments must become action on the ground. That means a complete transition to clean energy and keeping all dirty fuels (I’m looking at you gas) in the ground. Tell Obama that the TPP and fossil fuel extraction are not in 2015’s resolution by joining other activists andsending him a letter here.
Â