We’re already seeing some of the devastating effects climate change has on our environment, health and livelihoods. Given the speed, scope and consequences of the problem, we need to stop burning fossil fuels and shift to clean renewable sources of energy as swiftly as possible. That means we must retire coal-fired power plants, oil-based transportation systems and other fossil fuel infrastructure, which, if we keep operating all of it, will add more than 650 billion tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
And yet fossil fuel companies are still planning new projects that will add nearly 200 billion tons of pollution to that total. That’s bad. It’s even worse that they're counting on American taxpayers to help foot the bill in the form of subsidies and tax breaks.
We shouldn’t be paying to fuel the climate crisis. We need a comprehensive plan to eliminate the burning of fossil fuels. Getting rid of subsidies and tax breaks is an important first step – one that will have a big impact. A 2017 study found that, depending on the region, 40 to 60 percent of oil resources are subsidy-dependent today. Removing these subsidies will allow renewable sources of energy to compete and would stop our tax dollars from being wasted on energy that pollutes our air, and threatens our future.