Fossil Fuels Have Got to Go

Just building new green energy infrastructure is not enough, we have to phase out fossil fuels. This entails the blatant - not constructing any new fossil fuel infrastructure - and the abstract – turning the tables of power giving authority to voices drowning in the noise of pollution.

To be clear, the scope of consequence from continuing this parade, as is, will bring total collapse to life as we know it. Though, it is easy for us to become numb to this sort of scale, as it is larger than we have been given the scope for, so let us focus on a specific example of how we, really, are affected.

This example precedes the industrial revolution, but is an extremely relevant, cautionary tale. Up until the 1720s the North American bison were a part of many indigenous families, providing to the people a high quality of life (and vice versa). This all changed drastically when colonizers murdered and displaced the bison (alongside the families), which ended up turning the previously great standard of living to one of the worst at the time (and is still affected until today). That is to say, those who stand to gain from mass exploitation are inflicting the same wound upon us yet again.

Who's who in the fight for our future?

Using the previous paragraph as a grounds for analogy, we can ask ourselves who in this day and age is the “colonizer” and who “the family (bison included)”? Frankly speaking, the responsibility is in the hands of those with the power and resources who have pushed us to where we are now and where we might be headed, which in this context would be the parties and organizations profiting off of and establishing fossil fuel and military industries.

Many of said organizations have been very successful at making us think that we, the people outside such circles of capital, are at fault for climate collapse and the consequences that come with it. Some of the other heavy polluters have even made us believe that they are doing their best to mitigate the effects of their production⁵, while still ramping up production and profits. Though it has become evident that even previously established promises will be broken whenever possible - so we need more than empty words, we need to see real action and real change.

The Jevons Paradox

Building sustainable and renewable energy infrastructure is a great first step, but it must not be mistaken for the end-all solution for our climate crisis. Akin to Jevons Paradox, building for more energy to be available just leads to more of it being used, which makes Sunly, one of the few Estonian green energy companies, building an 188MW database for machine learning an excellent example for this phenomenon in regions where green energy infrastructure is little to non-existent, yet still gets used for new projects instead of phasing out of the reliance on the fossil fuel industry.

The situation is already dire, with some resources reporting at least a 73% decline in wildlife populations since 1970 and this sort of decline increasing. This of course implies the nearing of extinction for many species – some of whom have already been lost to this sort of decline. The good news, though, is that we have the capability to significantly soften the blow we inevitably will have on the climate and every animal, including ourselves, that we rely on. Despite phenomenon like climate change being recognized by companies like Shell, we can still see that even Shell alone had plans for up to 700 new fossil fuel projects back in 2025.

From Texts to Treaties

Given the scale of the subject, it might seem inconceivable to some to envision how to start, but the good news is that one does not have to look far to see great work being done. An excellent example is the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, which aims to stop the expansion of fossil fuel projects and the launching of any new ones. To be clear, this is no small collective, but one that consists of 18 member states, 70 businesses and over a million individuals.

Granted, if one is looking for a place to begin their action for a just climate transition towards a more livable future, a strand making up for a smaller, but equally important, scale in the network of activism would be to take part in local organizations, which can vary in each location, but a good place to start would be to check for any activity from Fridays For Future or looking up if any local political parties, that meet this demand, have groups you could join.

It will seem intimidating to join an organized effort, especially one with so much consequence in the daily life of not only oneself, but all there are. It is important to remember that even if it might seem that a single addition to an organization, movement or cause would be small in theory – many organizations could always use a helping hand, for even the simplest of tasks, like sending emails or reminding folks of a scheduled meeting (or the lack thereof). Every action (and inaction) matters.

For a holistic reaction to our climate crisis, we must definitely phase out of the usage of fossil fuels and do so in a way that is just, including the locals and the various circumstances they might find themselves in. We must use green energy to replace the existing, fossil-fuel-reliant, infrastructure – NOT to expand upon it, which has to also include cutting the energy consumption we demand for various items we have been manipulated to imagine are necessary, but could be replaced by better solutions, like car-dependent transportation infrastructure with walk-able and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure. Most importantly we must do so immediately, as the evidence points towards, at worst, losing 1/6 of the species we live with¹⁸ and an already massive (yet increasing) amount of human casualties, both directly and indirectly caused by climate change.

Written by Linda Kesa as part of the ReGeneration 2030 Advocacy Working Group. Join a ReGeneration Working Group today.