Even the wealthy enclave of Laguna Niguel in Orange County , Southern California , is on fire , and dozens of homes have been destroyed . Although moneyed elites have far more resources to remain protected from the deadly impacts of climate change compared to the rest of us , occasionally even their homes are in the path of destruction , indicating that nowhere on Earth will be safe on a catastrophically warming planet . Ironically , as extreme heatwaves become more likely with global warming , humans will burn more fossil fuels to power the air conditioning they need to cool off and survive , thereby fueling the very phenomenon that leads to more extreme heatwaves .
In such a scenario , it is a massive no-brainer for the world to quickly and without delay transition to renewable energy sources . Instead , President Joe Biden in April announced the sale of new leases for oil and gas companies to drill on public lands , reneging on his campaign platform ’ s climate pledges .
Biden did so apparently in order to increase domestic fuel supplies and thereby lower gas prices . He also raised the percentage of royalties that companies pay the federal government from 12.5 percent to 18.75 percent . But no amount of dollars saved by consumers or earned in royalties by the federal government can halt the laws of physics and protect the climate .
Lisa Friedman of the New York Times explained , “ The burning of fossil fuels extracted from public land and in federal waters accounts for 25 percent of the greenhouse gases generated by the United States , which is the planet ’ s secondbiggest polluter , behind China .” Here is one area where the federal executive branch has control , and yet financial considerations have been dictating responses rather than existential ones . After climate activists vocally denounced the move , Biden did finally cancel the drilling leases for Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico . The Interior Department cited a “ lack of industry interest ” and “ conflicting court rulings ,” rather than pressure from activists , as the reason for the cancellation . Regardless , it is a small measure of relief for a planet
78 x The Trial Lawyer that is on its way to burning to a crisp .
While Biden ( and other lawmakers ) claim they are driven by rising inflation and the impact of high gas prices on voters ’ pocketbooks , it turns out the public doesn ’ t actually want a glut of oil and gas to help lower costs .
A new poll by the National Surveys on Energy and the Environment found that there is no longer skepticism among the public that the effects of climate change are real , as 76 percent of respondents — the highest on record since the poll started — “ believe there is solid evidence that temperatures on the planet have risen over the last four decades .” A new poll by the National Surveys on Energy and the Environment found that there is no longer skepticism among the public that the effects of climate change are real , as 76 percent of respondents — the highest on record since the poll started — “ believe there is solid evidence that temperatures on the planet have risen over the last four decades .”
The poll also notably concluded that “ Americans continue to favor reducing greenhouse gas emissions as their preferred approach for staving off the worst impacts of climate change ,” and that they “ remain skeptical of any pivot from mitigation toward climate policy that prioritizes adaptation , use of geoengineering or subterranean carbon storage .”
So , rather than invest in mitigating climate change or adapting to it — which is what market-driven economies favor — people , sensibly , want to stop the planet from warming in the first place .
Still , there is growing concern among climate scientists that it may already be too late for a transition to renewables . In spite of energy sources like solar and wind becoming rapidly cheaper and more accessible , overall energy consumption is increasing about as fast , as per one recent study . Mark Diesendorf , the author of the study , explained , “ it is simply impossible for renewable energy to overtake that retreating target . And that ’ s no fault of renewable energy . It ’ s the fault of the growth in consumption and the fact that action has been left too late .” Because corporate profit-based considerations have constantly dictated our energy use and climate policies , we have effectively decided that major sacrifices of lives — most likely poor people of color — will be worth the pain of relying on fossil fuels for energy .
There is an analogy to be found in the COVID-19 pandemic . For months , scientists sounded the alarm over prevention , endorsing lockdowns , masks , and vaccines to stop the spread of the deadly virus , just as climate scientists issued warnings against global warming for decades . Both science-based campaigns faced uphill battles , each with its own challenges in recommending the most rational guidelines to maximize public safety in spite of financial sacrifices ( closing down most businesses and restaurants and canceling major sporting and entertainment events , in the case of COVID-19 ; promoting solar power subsidies , switching to wind energy , and manufacturing hybrid and electric vehicles , in the case of the climate crisis ). All the while , corporate interests and right-wing political opportunists successfully pushed their own agenda in the halls of power , insisting that economic growth was the most important consideration .
Today , even as COVID-19 infection rates are skyrocketing , with cases having risen by 58 percent in the last two weeks alone , mask mandates are being dropped all over the country and COVID-19- related restrictions are ending . This is not because the virus is under control — it is clearly not — but because it ’ s no longer financially viable for corporate America to sacrifice profits for lives . So , it will sacrifice lives for profit — just as is the case with the climate crisis .
It is worth spelling out this equation so that we know where we are headed .
As the climate changes , we begin to see where the bodies are buried — literally . Water levels in Nevada ’ s Lake Mead have fallen so dramatically that the remains of at least two human bodies were recently discovered . What other disturbing discoveries are in store for us ?