The New York Times. (2022, February 2) How Spiking Energy Prices Complicate the Fight Against Global Warming. Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/02/climate/oil-gas-prices-climate-change.html

Despite the fact that world leaders are claiming to scale back their use of fossil fuels, a significant increase in the demand for crude oil, natural gas, and coal could complicate this. Oil prices have soared to the highest price in roughly seven years due to fears of Russia invading Ukraine. This issue has led experts to recognize that although businesses are beginning to invest in low carbon energy sources, there will always be a need for fossil fuels. Unless the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy is very smooth and well managed, it is likely that incentives to switch to clean energy will be diminished, which would have a significant negative impact on reversing climate change. 

I think that the geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine should be a spark in the initiative to work towards net-zero emissions. The fact that this issue has driven oil prices to the highest level in nearly seven years should serve as a reminder that our reliance on fossil fuels is a serious issue, and we need to begin the transition to clean energy as soon as possible. It is important that we do not continue ignoring this issue, as the longer we wait to make the change, the more likely we are to produce irreversible levels of atmospheric carbon. 

NPR. (2022, January 28). A federal judge canceled major oil and gas leases over climate change. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/2022/01/28/1076281662/federal-judge-canceled-gulf-oil-and-gas-leases-climate-change

After a conference in Glasgow where president Biden stated that the United States was aiming for a greener future, his administration held the largest oil and gas lease sale in U.S. history. However, a federal judge ruled that this sale was illegal, as the Biden administration had failed to consider the costs to the world’s climate. The administration allegedly utilized an analysis conducted under Trump, which was considerably flawed. This lease would have allowed oil companies to purchase 80 million acres of land (twice the size of Florida) to use for fossil fuel extraction. Fortunately, the Biden administration has promised to review the country’s oil and gas leasing program to ensure its contribution to climate change. 

I think that while it is unfortunate that our current administration was planning to allow oil companies to purchase a piece of land twice the size of Florida, it is also a major victory that this was blocked by a federal judge. This is crucial for two reasons. Firstly, it will give Biden a chance to make changes to Trump’s flawed analysis, so that a situation similar to this does not happen again. Additionally, this is an important situation because it will hopefully cause more judges to view issues like these through an environmental lens. Furthermore, this is an important story because it brings awareness to the severity of our current climate crisis. The fact that companies have the ability to purchase such large amounts of land to extract oil from is a major concern. It is crucial that instead of allowing mass crude oil extraction, we begin investing in clean energy such as nuclear power and solar. 

S&P Global. (2021, December 24) Middle East in Uphill Battle to Meet Net-Zero as Emissions Set to Rise. Retrieved February 1, 2022, from https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/electric-power/122421-commodities-2022-middle-east-in-uphill-battle-to-meet-net-zero-as-emissions-set-to-rise

The Middle East is severely struggling to work towards net-zero emissions, as their economy is heavily dependent on natural gas and crude oil. Additionally, there is a big problem in the Middle East’s industrial and refining sectors, as these areas are very large, and cannot implement the usage of electricity. Saudi Arabia has pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2060, which would be a major step in the right direction towards reversing climate change. However, the countries claims may be misleading, as they are continuing to spend billions of dollars in order to expand their crude oil production. 

While I understand that the Middle East’s economy is heavily dependent on sectors where electricity cannot be implemented, I think it is important to work harder towards net-zero emissions. With the OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia claiming to reach net-zero by the year 2060, while continuing to upscale their crude oil output, it is clear that we are not taking this matter seriously enough. Countries need to be more focused on investing their money towards nuclear power and other sources of electricity, as opposed to expanding their crude output capacity. If we do not begin this process now, carbon emissions are going to continue to rise, and it will become increasingly difficult to remove carbon from the atmosphere, let alone reduce our output.

NPR KQED. (2021, August 19). A Federal Judge Has Thrown Out Approvals For a Major Oil Project in Alaska. Retrieved August 21, 2021, from https://www.npr.org/2021/08/19/1029223070/federal-judge-thrown-out-approvals-oil-project-alaska-conocophillips

A federal judge threw out Trump administration plans for a large oil project, due to the fact that the plan was flawed, and did not add mitigation measures to help polar bears. The company, ConocoPhillips, stated that they would review and “evaluate the options available regarding this project.” In October 2020, the U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt signed the record of decision that allowed ConocoPhillips to create three drill sites. It was stated that this decision would allow for a “significant contribution to keeping oil flowing.” 

It is significant that this decision for ConocoPhillips to establish drilling sites was thrown out, because of the negative environmental impacts that it imposed. The contract was lacking mitigation measures for the protection of species in Alaska, and these drilling sites may have been detrimental to the preservation of wildlife in Alaska’s North Slope. Nicole Whittington-Evans, Alaska program director for the Defenders of Wildlife stated that the decision was, “a win for our climate, for imperiled species like polar bears, and for the local residents whose concerns have been ignored.” This shows how important it is that we begin to take steps in the right direction towards protecting our environment, because it is the only one that we have, and we need to preserve it. 

Bloomberg. (2021, July 13). U.S. Oil Consumption Surging With Industry Firing at Full Blast. Retrieved August 9, 2021, from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-13/u-s-oil-consumption-surging-with-industry-firing-at-full-blast

While the U.S. recovers from the affects of a pandemic, oil demand is increasing drastically. The return of U.S. oil consumption comes with jet fuel use 24% below July 2019, which suggests that when air travel normalizes we may see prices increase. Additionally, propane use surged while Americans were stuck at home during the pandemic, and grilling more than ever before. The combination of effects from COVID have led to a large increase in oil demand and price, which may lead to a surge in the demand for harvesting oil. 

Since we are currently recovering from the effects of COVID, people are beginning to return to their normal lives. In turn, this is generating a larger increase in the demand for oil and petroleum products. One example of this, is that in the week leading up to the fourth of July, the weekly gasoline supplied reached a record in EIA data. The amount of diesel supplied was at 4.07 million barrels per day, the highest since 2017. While the need for oil begins to return after the pandemic, so will the need for harvesting oil, and while the increase of harvesting oil continues, so will environmental damage. Ultimately, an increase in demand for oil and petroleum products may have negative effects on the environment. 

The Guardian. (2021, June 30). Big oil and gas kept a dirty secret for decades. Now they may pay the price. Retrieved August 9, 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/30/climate-crimes-oil-and-gas-environment

A wave of lawsuits are hitting big oil companies, and aim to hold them accountable for their devastation of our environment caused by fossil fuels. Our country is experiencing an uptick in environmental issues, such as rising sea levels, “mega rains”, warmer waters, and so much more. These issues can be attributed to the oil industries lack of regard for our environment. More specifically, the decade long campaigns designed to deceit and suppress information from their own scientists about the dangers of fossil fuels. A draft United Nations report, warns that the consequences of the climate crisis will “fundamentally reshape life on Earth in the coming decades even if fossil fuel emissions are curbed.”

This article shows how big oil companies have been censoring their own scientists about the dangers of climate change for a decade, which has led to a multitude of environmental damages. It is important that the general public becomes aware of these issues, as we can work towards ending the damage that is being done. However, scientists say that even if we are able to curb fossil fuel emissions, the effects are irreversible, and will have consequences. Fortunately, U.S. cities are working to fight back against these companies and their actions, in order to stop this problem. One example is Imperial Beach, the poorest town in San Diego, which has been battling rising sea levels with little to no money to build protective barriers. They are accusing oil companies of creating a “public nuisance” by adding to the climate crisis. They are hoping to win enough money to build protective barriers. This is important, because if we continue to allow oil companies to get away with censoring scientists and damaging our environment, there will come a time when the damage to our environment is too severe to save. 

The Guardian. (2021, August 20). Oil firms made ‘false claims’ on blue hydrogen costs, says ex-lobby boss. Retrieved August 21,2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/20/oil-firms-made-false-claims-on-blue-hydrogen-costs-says-ex-lobby-boss

Big oil companies have been creating false claims surrounding the cost of producing fossil fuel hydrogen to convince the Treasury to allow them to access billions in taxpayer dollars. Chris Jackson quit as chairman of a leading hydrogen association, because “he could no longer lead an industry association that included oil companies backing blue hydrogen projects, because the schemes were “not sustainable”, and “make no sense at all”.” Additionally, environmental groups are criticizing the government’s strategy for this sector, because they are considering blue and green hydrogen to have equal importance.

One key issue with the fact that our government is giving equal weight to blue and green hydrogen, is that green hydrogen has no negative impact on our environment, whereas blue hydrogen is made from natural gas, and the process of creating blue hydrogen has negative impacts on the environment. Both types of hydrogen are more expensive than traditional gas, which is why large oil companies are lying about the cost of production. This is a big issue, because if oil companies are lying to the government about the cost of producing blue hydrogen, they will receive billions in tax payer subsidies, even though they don’t need it. Unfortunately, oil companies taking advantage of tax payers, as well as harming the environment seems to be a recurring theme. It is important that we not only recognize the possible environmental issues posed by oil companies, but also the economic issues.