Alumni Action Alert: Why we need to end fossil fuel subsidies
Many alumni asked us over the years for more opportunities to get engaged in important issues. Now we send an Alumni Action Alert each month on a particular issue or campaign The Public Interest Network is working on, along with some actions that you can take to help protect the environment, public health or the public interest.
Quick action: We shouldn’t waste tax dollars fueling the climate crisis. Sign U.S. PIRG’s petition calling on Congress to end fossil fuel subsidies. Will you join the call?
Context: From devastating wildfires on the West Coast to unlikely winter storms in Texas, this year has brought climate change-fueled extreme weather and deadly disasters to communities across the United States. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) latest report issued a dire warning on the catastrophic scenarios we could experience if we fail to act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It’s clear that we need to make immediate changes to avoid climate change’s worst case possibilities.
So how do we address this problem? First and foremost, we need to make a rapid shift to clean, renewable energy as quickly as possible.
We have an opportunity to create a more sustainable future. Congress is working on a budget reconciliation bill that could be a huge step forward in the fight against climate change. This bill would invest trillions of dollars in renewable energy, zero-emission transportation and clean water infrastructure. In fact, one of the major goals of this legislation is to reduce emissions by up to 45% by 2030.
At the same time, we need to make sure that other government programs aren’t thwarting our climate goals. Every year, the United States government gives away $20 billion to fossil fuel companies in the form of tax breaks, incentives and subsidies. That’s our taxpayer dollars going to an industry that not only made $28 billion in profits in 2018 alone, but is also causing the climate crisis.
While we are trying to reduce emissions through new investments in climate-friendly technology, we must end subsidies for fossil fuels. By eliminating fossil fuel subsidies we can help pay for the reconciliation bill. Simultaneously, we stop wasting our tax dollars on dirty energy sources that are destroying our planet.
Actions you can take:
Sign U.S. PIRG’s petition calling on Congress to end fossil fuel subsidies
Call your U.S. representatives and senators, your state legislators and your local elected officials and ask them to end fossil fuel subsidies.
