The title of this post may sound hyperbolic, but it isn’t. Check out the recent opinion piece (published during President Biden’s visit to New Mexico) by Gail Evans, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity is based in New Mexico and works as an attorney for the group.
Evans makes numerous bold statements including urging the “U.S. and other developed countries to end all oil and gas production by 2031.” (Developed does not include China or India).
Furthermore, Evans argues, “Biden must immediately phase out the extraction of fossil fuels in New Mexico and on public lands and waters throughout the country.”
Finally, claims Evans, “He can declare a national climate emergency to speed the end of the fossil fuel era by using his ordinary executive powers and emergency executive powers. He has the authority to phase out the production of oil, gas and coal on our public lands and waters.”
Some of this is conjecture or based on an expansive reading of the law (to say he least), but where is Congress in all of this? Are we really going to allow one person to shut down an entire industry?
Finally, if you exempt China and India which are NOT considered developed countries, are you REALLY serious about addressing climate change or are you just trying to destroy the American economy?
So are you admitting we have an environmental existential crisis or are you saying we don’t have one and we shouldn’t do anything about it or are you saying we do have one but almost no one is doing anything about it so neither should we.
I believe Evans needs to look at the CO2 that’s being put out by the war in Ukraine and other military operations that are going on around the world and attack a really worthwhile cause. I do believe we need to go as green as possible but Rome wasn’t built in a day and it will take way more than 10 years to be independent of fossil fuels if we ever are able to accomplish it: please educate yourself on how long it would actually take. To try to do it overnight is destroying people’s lives. Have some compassion for those who will not have $40,000 plus to go out and buy a new EV in the next 10 years and for the marine life that is being affected.