Sign the petition: Ban all new fossil fuel projects on federal land and water

Congress must ban all fossil fuel projects on federal lands and waters —

Dear MoveOn member,

Global boiling. That's how the U.N. secretary general recently described the our current stage of climate change.¹ This summer has been a season of extreme weather, and not just for us in the United States. Almost every single human being on Earth experienced a hotter July than ever before because of climate change.² It was the hottest month on record, ever.³

The climate crisis is here, and we need bold action from our leaders now before it gets worse. But there are sensible solutions that meet the challenges we face, such as proactively transitioning away from burning fossil fuels to investing in clean energy.

Will you sign the petition to demand Congress pass the Keep It in the Ground Act to ban all new fossil fuel projects on federal land and water? This is a critical step toward combating climate change and investing in our communities!

Demand that Congress halt all new fossil fuel projects on federal land and water! Keeping fossil fuels in the ground is critical for our planet's future—and therefore all of our futures. We can no longer continue prioritizing the fossil fuel industry above the rest of us.

Right now, over a quarter of U.S. oil, gas, and coal production comes from federal lands and waters.⁴ But as Senator Jeff Merkley, co-sponsor of the Keep It In the Ground Act reminds us, "Our public lands and waters belong to all of us—not to fossil fuel executives who want to exploit our health and our kids' future to get rich."⁵

Here's the problem: Burning fossil fuels release greenhouse gasses, a known major driver of climate change, into the atmosphere.⁶ Over the past 20 years, nearly three-fourths of human-caused emissions came from the burning of fossil fuels.⁷ This planet-killing energy source is incompatible with our futures and must be halted. We have alternatives that are ready to go, that are already proving efficient and economical—and which can give us a path to a cleaner, greener energy future—but we need to prioritize them now.

We can see and feel the immediate impacts of climate change right now on our communities: workers forced to work outside in extreme heat, children developing higher rates of asthma, floods decimating crops and destroying livelihoods, fires burning our homes down, intensifying hurricanes ripping whole regions apart, and more. And working-class people, particularly Black and brown communities, are feeling these impacts even more acutely.

To ensure a liveable planet for us right now and for generations to come, we must demand the government fully transition from fossil fuels to clean energy, and this starts with banning all new fossil fuel projects on federal land by passing the Keep It in the Ground Act. With the increasingly effective clean-energy technologies, this is achievable—but we need the will, collective effort, and government policies to make it so.

Sign the petition to demand Congress halt all new approvals of new coal, oil, and gas projects on federal lands and waters. Keeping fossil fuels in the ground is critical for our planet's future—and therefore all of our futures.

Thanks for all you do.

–Kelsey, Erica, Evelyn, Nadia, and the rest of the team 

Sources:

1. "The era of global boiling has arrived,' says UN boss, as White House announces provisions to protect workers from extreme heat," CNBC, July 27, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/179541?t=5&akid=358993%2E53570607%2Edk6Q_U

2. "Climate change made July hotter for almost every human on Earth," Associated Press, August 2, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/179542?t=7&akid=358993%2E53570607%2Edk6Q_U

3. Ibid.

4. "'One quarter' of US emissions since 2005 come from fossil fuels on public lands", Carbon Brief, April 21, 2022
https://act.moveon.org/go/179543?t=9&akid=358993%2E53570607%2Edk6Q_U

5. "Climate groups cheer Keep It in the Ground Act of 2012," Rep. Jared Huffman, April 14, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/179544?t=11&akid=358993%2E53570607%2Edk6Q_U

6. "The Causes of Climate Change," NASA, accessed August 7, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/179545?t=13&akid=358993%2E53570607%2Edk6Q_U

7. "Fossil," U.S. Department of Energy, accessed August 7, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/179546?t=15&akid=358993%2E53570607%2Edk6Q_U

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