In March I will turn 18 and become eligible to vote. Like thousands of other young people, I will narrowly make the cut to vote in the 2024 presidential election. As is the case for many, the issue at the forefront of my mind is the climate crisis. After school was canceled due to wildfire smoke, and the intense heat that is defining my summer, it’s clear that dangerous, extreme weather is already here — and that it will only get worse if we fail to meet this urgent threat. I stand with those around the world who are calling for action and leadership on the climate crisis, and for the first time I will be able to support this call through my vote. But I am outraged by the prospect of sacrificing my future — and my vote — to a president who continues to bow to the fossil fuel industry.
In the 2020 election, Joe Biden ran as a self-proclaimed climate president. As summarized by CBS, he promised to “develop a clean energy economy… to build more resilient communities, to reestablish America's global leadership on this issue, and to work toward environmental justice.” In some ways, he has made progress in achieving the first three goals: He rejoined the Paris climate accord, signed the Inflation Reduction Act, and set goals like “achieving a net-zero emissions economy by 2050.” Biden also established the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, creating an impression that environmental justice is a priority for his administration. But a closer look will show that there are vast inconsistencies in the president's promises and policies.
Above all, President Biden has revealed his lack of commitment to environmental justice through his acceptance and expansion of the production of fossil fuels. In April, the day after announcing new Environmental Protection Agency rules, Biden approved the Alaska LNG project. This $40 billion project includes an 800-mile gas pipeline that the Department of Energy projects will produce emissions equal to 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere over its planned 30-year lifespan. This will devastate ecosystems, take a decade to build, and is so costly that even those in the oil industry have questioned its rationale.
A month earlier, the Biden administration gave the green light to the Willow Project, an oil drilling operation in Alaska that enraged millions of protesters and activists online. The Alaska LNG and Willow projects have both rightfully been described as "carbon bombs," standing in stark contrast to President Biden's campaign promise to end federal drilling on public land.
Environmental justice entails more than just halting the climate crisis; it demands uplifting marginalized communities in that process. The fossil fuel industry — which does not exist in a vacuum for our economic growth — disproportionately harms people of color. Major pipelines, like the ones Biden has approved, displace and harm Indigenous communities that work to protect Alaskan land. By continuing to approve massive fossil fuel infrastructure projects, Biden perpetuates our reliance on those fuels for decades to come, while supporting a system that exacerbates environmental racism and causes immense harm to local communities. No fresh promises or newly created councils will be able to offset this harm.
The differences between Biden's goals and his actions reveal climate hypocrisy. By making progress in some domains while supporting the fossil fuel industry — an approach that is getting us nowhere — President Biden is taking a “two steps forward, two steps back” approach to try to get support from as many people as possible. This way he can call himself a climate president without angering the fossil fuel giants. But the back-and-forth is angering environmentalists, confusing Democrats, and pushing youth voters away, alienating many people who voted for him in 2020.
Well before I become eligible to vote in March, I will join thousands of others in New York City, on September 17, at the March to End Fossil Fuels. This march coincides with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals conference led by UN Secretary General António Guterres, who has called out Biden for his failure to meet international climate goals. We are marching to demand that the president stop approving new fossil fuel projects, phase out fossil fuel production on federal lands, and declare a climate emergency. These are the three steps that will start the road to environmental justice, help Biden keep his climate promises, and empower youth voters.
I will vote because I know my ballot makes a difference, and I will march because I know my voice does too. I will take both of these actions in the belief that our collective determination and unwavering commitment to environmental justice will prevail.
President Biden has missed the mark for what it means to be a climate leader, but he still has the opportunity to make history, get reelected, and turn around our country's reliance on fossil fuels. Until he does, though, we will march, chant, write, read, and vote like our future depends on it — because it does.
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