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Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion - Trump's climate change ‘cancel culture' is our real national energy emergency
In 2006, President George W. Bush, a former Texas oilman, surprised the nation by declaring that America was 'addicted to oil.' Until that statement, Bush had pushed oil production, symbolized by the viral photo of him holding hands with Saudi Arabia's crown prince. But suddenly Bush was saying that 'by applying the talent and technology of America, this country can dramatically improve our environment, move beyond a petroleum-based economy, and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past.' His pronouncement threw Washington 'into one of its occasional paroxysms of confusion.' Unfortunately, the addiction continued. America still imports some oil, but now it leads the world in oil and gas production. The energy policy of subsequent presidents, Democrats and Republicans alike, has been 'all of the above,' the politically expedient idea that we need all available energy resources. However, no president has pushed fossil fuels more aggressively or at greater cost than President Trump. He has imposed an energy policy that denies the addiction's real costs, ranging from lung cancers to deadly weather disasters. All the while, America's future — in fact, the world's — depends on replacing 'all of the above' with the 'best of the above.' Many of the best options are market-ready today, and much less expensive than fossil fuels, especially when we compare their real costs and benefits to those of oil, natural gas and coal. America's most secure and prosperous future will be powered principally by electricity generated by resources that are indigenous, limitless, ubiquitous, relatively nonpolluting and free for the taking. Even with markets biased in favor of fossil fuels, renewables are often cheaper today. And they can be deployed in months rather than years to meet the nation's rapidly growing electric demand. Instead, America's fossil fuel addiction is sustained by inertia, the ability of the oil industry to buy elections, and the subversion of market forces. With the help of elected policymakers, markets ignore the actual costs of carbon-based fuels. Consumers pay only a fraction of those costs. For example, the price of a gallon of gasoline does not include the costs of air pollution on public health or its impact on weather disasters. A few years ago, the Center for Investigative Reporting calculated that when carbon dioxide pollution is counted, gasoline costs about $15 per gallon. The center estimated that a typical driver causes about 10,000 pounds of annual emissions. It would take a forest the size of California, Nevada and Arizona combined to mitigate all the pollution created by America's gas-powered vehicles. According to the World Economic Forum, air pollution from fossil fuels costs over $820 billion annually in the U.S., or about $2,500 per person per year in additional medical bills. Despite progress in reducing air pollution under the Clean Air Act of 1970, nearly half of Americans still live in places where emissions make breathing dangerous. In March, the nonprofit Fractracker Alliance itemized the direct and indirect ways governments in the U.S. subsidize fossil fuels. The total is $760 billion annually in subsidies, tax breaks and unpriced externalities. The International Monetary Fund found that nations provided $7 trillion in subsidies for fossil fuels during 2022, 60 percent of it attributed to global warming and local air pollution. In the U.S., direct and indirect subsidies totaled $757 billion that year, or $2,243 per person. 'These policies distort energy markets, hinder renewable energy growth, and cost taxpayers billions,' Fractracker points out. '(T)ax advantages shield oil and gas companies from real market risks, which means that unprofitable fossil fuel ventures—businesses that would otherwise fail in a competitive market—are kept afloat at the expense of the public.' Due to climate change, the actual costs of fossil energy are increasing rapidly. The average number of weather disasters has grown from nine annually over the last 45 years to 23. Forty states have suffered 10 or more major weather disasters during the last 13 years. Three of every four Americans live at risk of floods, hurricanes, sea-level rise or wildfires. The Obama administration attempted to correct energy market signals by calculating the 'social costs of carbon.' President Barack Obama ordered agencies to use it to estimate the real costs of federal programs and policies. Trump is now trying to hide the actual costs by directing agencies to stop considering the social cost of carbon — just one of many actions he is taking to suppress America's necessary transition to renewable energy, including the false energy emergency he has declared. In the meantime, the American people are suffering from Trump's refusal to recognize reality. We need energy security at least cost with clean domestic resources. We need it now to guide today's investments in America's energy systems. Trump is doing profound damage in many ways, but none as irreversible, dangerous to life, or long-lasting as the nearly 5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide that America's fossil fuel addiction dumps into the atmosphere each year. He has done all this in 118 days, but the actual costs will last thousands of years. William S. Becker is a former U.S. Department of Energy central regional director and executive director of the Presidential Climate Action Project, which is not affiliated with the White House. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
19-05-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Trump's climate change ‘cancel culture' is our real national energy emergency
In 2006, President George W. Bush, a former Texas oilman, surprised the nation by declaring that America was 'addicted to oil.' Until that statement, Bush had pushed oil production, symbolized by the viral photo of him holding hands with Saudi Arabia's crown prince. But suddenly Bush was saying that 'by applying the talent and technology of America, this country can dramatically improve our environment, move beyond a petroleum-based economy, and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past.' His pronouncement threw Washington 'into one of its occasional paroxysms of confusion.' Unfortunately, the addiction continued. America still imports some oil, but now it leads the world in oil and gas production. The energy policy of subsequent presidents, Democrats and Republicans alike, has been 'all of the above,' the politically expedient idea that we need all available energy resources. However, no president has pushed fossil fuels more aggressively or at greater cost than President Trump. He has imposed an energy policy that denies the addiction's real costs, ranging from lung cancers to deadly weather disasters. All the while, America's future — in fact, the world's — depends on replacing 'all of the above' with the 'best of the above.' Many of the best options are market-ready today, and much less expensive than fossil fuels, especially when we compare their real costs and benefits to those of oil, natural gas and coal. America's most secure and prosperous future will be powered principally by electricity generated by resources that are indigenous, limitless, ubiquitous, relatively nonpolluting and free for the taking. Even with markets biased in favor of fossil fuels, renewables are often cheaper today. And they can be deployed in months rather than years to meet the nation's rapidly growing electric demand. Instead, America's fossil fuel addiction is sustained by inertia, the ability of the oil industry to buy elections, and the subversion of market forces. With the help of elected policymakers, markets ignore the actual costs of carbon-based fuels. Consumers pay only a fraction of those costs. For example, the price of a gallon of gasoline does not include the costs of air pollution on public health or its impact on weather disasters. A few years ago, the Center for Investigative Reporting calculated that when carbon dioxide pollution is counted, gasoline costs about $15 per gallon. The center estimated that a typical driver causes about 10,000 pounds of annual emissions. It would take a forest the size of California, Nevada and Arizona combined to mitigate all the pollution created by America's gas-powered vehicles. According to the World Economic Forum, air pollution from fossil fuels costs over $820 billion annually in the U.S., or about $2,500 per person per year in additional medical bills. Despite progress in reducing air pollution under the Clean Air Act of 1970, nearly half of Americans still live in places where emissions make breathing dangerous. In March, the nonprofit Fractracker Alliance itemized the direct and indirect ways governments in the U.S. subsidize fossil fuels. The total is $760 billion annually in subsidies, tax breaks and unpriced externalities. The International Monetary Fund found that nations provided $7 trillion in subsidies for fossil fuels during 2022, 60 percent of it attributed to global warming and local air pollution. In the U.S., direct and indirect subsidies totaled $757 billion that year, or $2,243 per person. 'These policies distort energy markets, hinder renewable energy growth, and cost taxpayers billions,' Fractracker points out. '(T)ax advantages shield oil and gas companies from real market risks, which means that unprofitable fossil fuel ventures—businesses that would otherwise fail in a competitive market—are kept afloat at the expense of the public.' Due to climate change, the actual costs of fossil energy are increasing rapidly. The average number of weather disasters has grown from nine annually over the last 45 years to 23. Forty states have suffered 10 or more major weather disasters during the last 13 years. Three of every four Americans live at risk of floods, hurricanes, sea-level rise or wildfires. The Obama administration attempted to correct energy market signals by calculating the 'social costs of carbon.' President Barack Obama ordered agencies to use it to estimate the real costs of federal programs and policies. Trump is now trying to hide the actual costs by directing agencies to stop considering the social cost of carbon — just one of many actions he is taking to suppress America's necessary transition to renewable energy, including the false energy emergency he has declared. In the meantime, the American people are suffering from Trump's refusal to recognize reality. We need energy security at least cost with clean domestic resources. We need it now to guide today's investments in America's energy systems. Trump is doing profound damage in many ways, but none as irreversible, dangerous to life, or long-lasting as the nearly 5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide that America's fossil fuel addiction dumps into the atmosphere each year. He has done all this in 118 days, but the actual costs will last thousands of years. William S. Becker is a former U.S. Department of Energy central regional director and executive director of the Presidential Climate Action Project, which is not affiliated with the White House.
CBS News
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Chicago Cultural Center hosts Earth Day Action Fair
An Earth Day Action Fair was held Sunday at the Chicago Cultural Center. People turned out to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the first Earth Day at the event organized by the One Earth Film Festival and the City of Chicago's Office of Climate & Environmental Equity, along with several partners. Information booths were set up, and a special watch party was held for the award-winning film "The Grab" in the Claudia Cassidy Theater at the Cultural Center. "The Grab," as described by the One Earth Film Festival, "outlines a global warming reaction by several nation states, where the powerful use force, economics and illegal mercenaries to take control of food and water stocks." The documentary film follows journalists from the Center for Investigative Reporting as they uncover the issues. "The narrative begins with the 2014 purchase of U.S.-based Smithfield Foods by Chinese WH Group, which the filmmakers say gave away control of a quarter of all pigs in the U.S. It then follows other hard-to-explain deals, such as the purchase of arid land in Arizona by a Saudi company. Russians hiring American cowboys to work in a region too cold for farmland. And Blackwater deals to secure land in Africa," the One Earth Film Festival adds in its description. "All these strange commercial arrangements are linked by 'following the money,' a phrase heard several times in the film." "Blackfish" director Gabriela Cowperthwaite directed the film. Also at the event Sunday, representatives of several groups were on hand to talk about what they do and how to collaborate with other environmental advocates.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Startling satellite data exposes invisible threat lingering in the air: 'Governments committed billions to technological upgrades'
The amount of methane gas in the atmosphere has increased by two-and-a-half times since the pre-industrial era. Technological advancements in oil and gas production and coal mining have largely caused this increase in methane gas pollution. Technological innovation has also made detecting the sources of this pollution easier to identify. Scientists are using techs ranging from satellites, planes, drones, and hand-held devices to detect the pollution. On Feb. 4, Momentick, a company that uses satellite imagery to detect, monitor, and stop planet-warming gas pollution, released its 2024 Methane Emissions Report. The emissions intelligence company studied satellite imagery of nearly 277,000 square miles to identify methane pollution from oil and gas facilities. The satellite imagery showed that approximately 17% of the monitored facilities worldwide, one in six, are leaking large amounts of methane gas. Besides polluting our air and environment, leaked methane gas represents wasted energy. The worldwide loss of methane gas in 2024, equivalent in its global warming potential to nearly a billion tons of carbon dioxide, could have supplied the monthly energy needs of roughly 300,000 U.S. households. Methane is a heat-trapping pollutant. While methane leaks waste energy that could be used to heat households, stoves, and water heaters, the gas also accounts for about 30% of global heating. Methane, an odorless, colorless, and highly flammable natural gas, stays in the atmosphere for a shorter amount of time than the most prominent anthropogenic planet-warming gas, carbon dioxide. The lifespan of the gas is about 10 years, while carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere for at least hundreds of years. This fact does not mean methane is an insignificant contributor to the overheating of our planet because methane gas is more potent. Its potency poses a threat both to the environment and to human health. In Texas, 400,000 active oil and gas wells, compressor stations, and processing plants leak methane gas. The Center for Investigative Reporting found that more than 30,000 children in Arlington, Texas, attend public schools within half a mile of wells, and up to 7,600 daycare and preschool-aged children attend centers within the same radius. These children are at risk of health impacts from the pollution, but so is everyone else. Families who live near methane-releasing facilities are at extreme risk of illness from the gas, though methane travels enough to harm any healthy person elsewhere. Do you worry about air pollution in and around your home? Yes — always Yes — often Yes — sometimes No — never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, efforts are being made to reduce methane pollution from the oil and gas sectors in an attempt to protect the planet and people. More money is being put into detecting and identifying where methane gas is leaking. Momentick CEO and co-founder Daniel Kashmir said, "2024 was an important year on the path to curbing methane emissions. Governments committed billions to technological upgrades and research, while oil and gas operators accelerated progress towards their net-zero goals." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
OpenAI urges U.S. to allow AI models to train on copyrighted material
OpenAI is asking the U.S. government to make it easier for AI companies to learn from copyrighted material, citing a need to 'strengthen America's lead' globally in advancing the technology. The proposal is part of a wider plan that the tech company behind ChatGPT submitted to the U.S. government on Thursday as part of President Donald Trump's coming 'AI Action Plan.' The administration solicited input from interested parties across the private sector, government and academia, framing the future policy as a shift that would 'prevent unnecessarily burdensome requirements from hindering private sector innovation.' In its proposal, OpenAI urged the federal government to enact a series of 'freedom-focused' policy ideas, including an approach that would no longer compel American AI developers to 'comply with overly burdensome state laws.' Copyright in particular is an issue that has plagued AI developers, as many continue to train their models on human work without informing the original creators, obtaining consent or providing compensation. OpenAI has been sued by several news outlets including the Center for Investigative Reporting, The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune and the New York Daily News over claims of copyright infringement. Several authors and visual artists have also taken legal action against the company over unauthorized use of their copyrighted content. Still, OpenAI said it believes its strategy — the encouragement of 'fair use' policies and fewer intellectual property restrictions — could '[protect] the rights and interests of content creators while also protecting America's AI leadership and national security.' It did not elaborate on the former. Many leaders in the AI industry and members of the Trump administration have framed America's dominance in AI advancements as a matter of national security, comparing it to a high-stakes arms race. 'The federal government can both secure Americans' freedom to learn from AI, and avoid forfeiting our AI lead to the PRC by preserving American AI models' ability to learn from copyrighted material,' OpenAI's proposal states, using an abbreviation for China's formal name, the People's Republic of China. Shortly after he took office, Trump issued an executive order that revoked former President Joe Biden's policies on AI, stating the United States' previous directives acted 'as barriers to American AI innovation.' Biden's 'Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence' executive order, issued in October 2023, stated that 'irresponsible use [of AI] could exacerbate societal harms,' including threats to national security. His first week in office, Trump also announced Stargate, a massive AI infrastructure investment venture unveiled at the White House in partnership with OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank. Executives of those companies pledged to invest an initial $100 billion and up to $500 billion over the next four years in the project, which will be set up as a separate company. OpenAI called for more investment into the technology in its proposal, writing, 'Sustaining America's lead on AI means building the necessary infrastructure to compete with the PRC and its commandeered resources.' This investment in AI infrastructure, it wrote, would create jobs, boost local economies, modernize the country's energy grid and prepare 'an AI-ready workforce.' Executives at OpenAI told reporters last month that as part of the ambitious project, the company is considering constructing new data center campuses in 16 states, CNBC reported. OpenAI also encouraged the government to focus on exporting American 'democratic AI' to promote the adoption of U.S. technology abroad. OpenAI says this would start with adopting AI tools within the U.S. government as well. (The company previously launched ChatGPT Gov in January, a version of ChatGPT built specifically for government use.) The proposal directly points to DeepSeek R1 — the AI model recently released by a small Chinese lab that temporarily took ChatGPT's No. 1 spot in the Apple App Store, became the talk of Silicon Valley and caused tech stocks to crash — as a threat to the United States' global leadership on AI. 'While America maintains a lead on AI today, DeepSeek shows that our lead is not wide and is narrowing,' the company said. This article was originally published on
