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Fossil Fuels Must Go: Re-inventing US Transportation

Union of Concerned Scientists

To adjust the focus of this picture a little closer, just our passenger cars and light trucks contribute to a whopping 58 percent of total transportation emissions, placing our car-centric society in the fossil fuel spotlight. Petroleum has accounted for more than 90 percent of transportation energy in the last 50 years.

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Fossil Fuel Companies Make Billions in Profit as We Suffer Billions in Losses: 2024 Edition

Union of Concerned Scientists

Last year, I wrote that fossil fuel companies made billions of dollars in profit during 2022 as people around the world suffered billions of dollars in damage from climate and weather related disasters. Above: Lahaina, Hawai’i after the devastating August 2023 wildfire that killed more than 100 people and destroyed 2,700 homes.

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Fossil Fuel Disinformation Threats Aim to Hinder Meaningful Action at COP28 

Union of Concerned Scientists

Yet, driven by vested interests in the fossil fuel industry , misleading narratives aim to distort and hinder meaningful climate commitments. Fossil fuels are the problem It’s pretty simple: the burning of fossil fuels is the main driver of climate change. What’s lacking is political will.

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We Need an Agreement to Phase out Fossil Fuels at COP28

Union of Concerned Scientists

It’s not just the poor air quality, long lines, and excessive fossil fuel company representation ; nations are still too far apart in their positions on a fossil fuel phaseout, the top priority for this COP. Yet global fossil fuel production and use continue to expand. Particulate matter (PM2.5)

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Taking a Lesson from the Tobacco Ad Ban to Shut Down Fossil Fuel Greenwashing

Union of Concerned Scientists

This month, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a ban on advertising by fossil fuel companies, invoking the ban on tobacco ads as a relevant precedent. So what can we learn from the ban on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship that may be relevant to tackling the fossil fuel industry-driven climate crisis?

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Making Fossil Fuels Pay for Their Damage

Legal Planet

Production and combustion of fossil fuels imposes enormous costs on society, which the industry doesn’t pay for. One option, a tax on carbon dioxide emissions, gets the most attention but seems politically impossible. A more promising alternative might be a clean-up tax on the fossil fuel industry.

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US States and Communities are Suing the Fossil Fuel Industry: Six Things You Need to Know 

Union of Concerned Scientists

In an important win for climate accountability in the United States, the US Supreme Court decided that lawsuits filed in Colorado, Maryland, California, Hawai’i, and Rhode Island against fossil fuel companies including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, Suncor, and others will remain in state courts.