It’s official: 2023 was the hottest year on record. And sadly, we hit that achievement by a large, and frightening, margin. We are in the midst of the global climate crisis, and this will continue to exacerbate so long as inaction plays front and center.
In order to tackle the climate crisis, we must cut greenhouse gas emissions. And in order to do that, we must transition away from fossil fuels. The good news is, this can be good for the economy.
Fossil fuels, like coal, are now being “economically outmatched by renewables” as these outdated energy sources are becoming more expensive to operate. $20 billion of U.S. taxpayer money is spent every year on fossil fuel subsidies–worldwide, it’s trillions of dollars. And climate change actually worsens economic inequality and poverty.
Reducing emissions is not only vital for tackling the crisis, it is vital for sustaining our economic health. We’ve recently witnessed a decrease in emissions as our economy grew. And the renewable energy sector continues to boost job growth in every state across the country.
Countries around the world are reducing carbon emissions while continuing to grow economically. We can and must continue to do the same. The time to fully transition away from fossil fuels is now. There is no economic excuse: We can and must reduce our emissions.
