To hide this reality |fossil fuel subsidies],
the fossil fuel industry has invested in a massive public relations scheme (read: propaganda campaign) to paint itself as the defender of the free market. In the US, the fossil fuel industry has even, quite successfully, duped Evangelicals into associating the fossil fuel industry with free markets, and free markets with God’s will. Thus, attacks on the fossil fuel industry become attacks on God’s will. But if God’s will was really aligned with the free market, then the fossil fuel industry would be doing the devil’s work.
The fossil fuel industry is increasingly relying on the heavy hand of the government to protect fossil fuels from competition. Subsidies and protective policies shield fossil fuels from the reality that renewable energy has become the cheapest energy source worldwide.
Vast Subsidies Keeping the Fossil Fuel Industry Afloat Should be Put to Better Use
4 comments:
All a bit misleading in that the so called subsidies for fossil fuel industries are not subsidies in the normal sense: i.e. actual payments by government to relevant industries. The so called subsidies consist of ABSTAINING from charging those industries for externalities, like pollution.
While I agree that fossil fuel industries should be charged for pollution, there is actually a monster payment that government does make for the benefit of the oil industry, and that’s the cost of Western military involvement in the Middle East, all designed to ensure the West continues to get its supply of oil.
If it was not for oil, the West would presumably let Middle East countries fight each other to the death (while still protecting Isreal presumably).
" that’s the cost of Western military involvement in the Middle East, all designed to ensure the West continues to get its supply of oil."
Ralph US is now net exporter of oil... US is the largest national producer of oil...
US may be a net exporter of oil but nowhere near the ONLY supplier of oil.
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