Nearing the end of 2020, we have seen how the continued use of fossil fuels impacts our planet and our people. Our local efforts to combat climate change, such as biking to work instead of driving a car, are helpful in many ways but will not make a significant enough impact in our efforts to prevent further damage. 

The only way to ensure that this planet stays inhabitable for centuries to come would be to abolish fossil fuels altogether. That may sound hard to accomplish, considering the United States has become dependent on fossil fuels for energy for the past 140 years, coming in 2nd when it comes to total global carbon emissions. However, it can be possible.

One of the few ways to make this concept a reality is to create policies that describe, in detail, the urgency of this situation and how to solve it. All levels of government, from local to national, would have to be on board to accomplish this goal, considering the radical nature of it. The policies would outline solutions such as using renewable sources for our energy. Renewable energy comes from sources such as solar and water and has proven to be a cleaner and cheaper sollution.

It’s difficult for the United States to “quit” fossil fuels because the big fossil fuel companies, such as ExxonMobil and Chevron, have been denying the facts of climate change just to keep their businesses running and their paychecks coming in. In fact, the U.S. government pays $20 billion in subsidies a year to these companies, according to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute. The fossil fuel industry has been declining in recent years, so it would make sense to support solutions to climate change, considering it benefits the government and its people.