Marching for a Livable Planet: an Urgent Call to End the Fossil Fuel Era

The following is part of a series of opinion pieces Common Dreams is publishing in the lead-up to the March to End Fossil Fuels on Sunday, September 17 in New York City. Read the rest of the series and our complete coverage here.

This summer broke records for the highest temperature ever documented. By a lot. Oceans, a majority of our planet’s surface, were the hottest ever on record. Blistering summers, with relentless heatwaves, mega storms, and drought killing people across the world are becoming the norm. It’s never been more clear than now that we need to unite to put an end to fossil fuels, the primary driver of the climate crisis.

As called for by United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, the global Climate Ambition Summit in New York City next week presents a critical opportunity for tangible action to keep fossil fuels in the ground. That is why we will be joining thousands in the streets of New York to demand President Joe Biden stop all new oil and gas, phase out fossil fuels, and declare a climate emergency.

A fast and fair phaseout of fossil fuels is key to a liveable future. Ending the expansion of extraction is a logical first step. Unfortunately, the United States and other big oil and gas producing countries are doing the opposite. President Biden claims to be a climate leader, but based on Oil Change International’s latest data, the U.S. is the world’s largest oil and gas expander and biggest international fossil fuel financier so far in 2023.

With devastating fossil fuel projects like the Willow oil project, Alaska LNG, multiple Gulf Coast export terminals, and the Mountain Valley Pipeline approved at home, despite resistance from frontline and national communities, it is clear the United States is committed to doing the fossil fuel industry’s bidding in all corners of the world.

A new Oil Change International report, titled Planet Wreckers, shows that just 20 countries are responsible for nearly 90% of carbon dioxide pollution threatened by new oil and gas extraction between 2023 and 2050. If these 20 Planet Wreckers were to heed the United Nations Secretary General's call to halt new oil and gas, we could prevent a staggering 173 billion tonnes of carbon pollution from entering our atmosphere. To put this into perspective, that is equivalent to the lifetime emissions of nearly 1,100 new coal plants or more than three decades of annual U.S. carbon emissions.

Five “climate hypocrites” account for the majority of the threat: the United States, Canada, Australia, Norway, and the United Kingdom. These countries have the greatest financial means and responsibility to lead a fast and fair global phaseout of production, yet are instead “leading” in adding more planet-wrecking fuel to the fire.

At the top of this group of Planet Wreckers is the United States, which accounts for over one-third of the planned global oil and gas expansion through 2050. The U.S. is, by far, the world's largest oil and gas producer and largest historical climate polluter. Unfortunately, nothing in President Biden’s signature climate bill, the Inflation Reduction Act, promises to curtail the massive boom of fracking and liquefied fossil gas production happening across the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico, as well as along the U.S. Gulf Coast. This proliferation of fracking wells and export infrastructure is disproportionately impacting marginalized communities, particularly Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and low-income communities, who bear the brunt of this climate-warming and toxic pollution.

Based on our latest fossil finance violations tracker, the U.S. also provides the most international fossil fuel financing among countries committed to to end this support. While the majority of countries that promised to stop funding fossils abroad by the end of 2022 have kept their word and not financed new fossil fuels since the deadline elapsed, the U.S. has approved a total of $1.5 billion for four projects so far this year. While the administration claims it has adopted a policy to restrict international fossil fuel financing, which they are refusing to publish, it is clearly violating its promise to stop propping up fossil fuels abroad with tax-payer money.

"It is our demand that President Biden exercises his power to end fossil fuels, allowing our planet and its people to thrive."

With devastating fossil fuel projects like the Willow oil project, Alaska LNG, multiple Gulf Coast export terminals, and the Mountain Valley Pipeline approved at home, despite resistance from frontline and national communities, it is clear the United States is committed to doing the fossil fuel industry’s bidding in all corners of the world.

It is our demand that President Biden exercises his power to end fossil fuels, allowing our planet and its people to thrive.

The consequences of failing to act are dire. Allowing the expansion of oil and gas production would make it impossible to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C, a crucial threshold for avoiding the worst impacts of climate breakdown. Even if we were to burn only the fossil fuels from extraction sites already operating worldwide, that would take us a shocking 140% over the allowable carbon pollution budget for 1.5°C. If the U.S. and other countries persist with new extraction plans, we are looking at an alarming 190% overshoot, likely locking in more than a dangerous 2°C of warming.

The effects of the climate crisis, driven by fossil fuel production and consumption, are already wreaking havoc on people and ecosystems worldwide. The solutions and resources to phase out fossil fuels and transition to sustainable energy systems exist. Clean energy and energy efficiency solutions are most effective in supporting energy access, security, and affordability. Still, governments are blatantly disregarding science, and continuing to approve new oil and gas projects that directly undermine the climate goals they have pledged to uphold.

Throughout history, we've come together across diverse backgrounds and beliefs to solve major problems and build a better world. Yet, fossil fuel corporations and corrupt politicians have exploited our differences, sowing division while poisoning our air, water, and communities. They've chosen where to dump their toxins based on the size of our wallets and the color of our skin. Now, President Biden has a responsibility to halt their destructive expansion and ensure clean air and water for all.

By joining forces at the March to End Fossil Fuels in New York on September 17, 2023, we will demand a reckoning. Our global leaders are either with us, or the fossil fuel industry. We can power our future with affordable and locally generated renewable energy from the wind and sun, creating millions of jobs and healthy neighborhoods for generations to come. It's time to stand together, united for an equitable future, and put an end to the fossil fuel era.