Declaration of Independence from Disinformation and Fossil Fuels

On the fourth of July 2021, Americans need to declare their independence from Republican lies and dirty sources of energy. Two hundred and forty-five years ago, US colonies freed themselves from the injustice of British rule, now America needs to free itself from the tyranny of disinformation and fossil fuels. The Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. On that day, thirteen American colonies proclaimed their freedom from Great Britain. Today America needs to free itself from the unholy alliance between the fossil fuel companies and the GOP that is driving disinformation and buoying an industry that is a harbinger of death. Disinformation from big oil and Republicans is the reason that we have not already moved to cleaner sources of energy. We cannot abide energy that causes climate change, nor can we countenance a political party that is driving authoritarianism. Republicans are working to keep dirty energy alive, subverting democracy and embracing authoritarianism. It is time to confront the GOP’s disinformation and reject the sources of energy that augur global ruin.

To break our dependence on fossil fuels we will need to dispel Republican deception starting with the big lie that the election of 2020 was “stolen”. We also need to push back against voter suppression legislation that has been passed under the false pretext of voter fraud in Republican-controlled state legislatures across the country,

There is a mountain of evidence demonstrating that with the help of Republicans, the fossil fuel industry has been a leading purveyor of disinformation. Together they have succeeded in delaying climate action. However, there are tools and governance arrangements that are pushing back against this litany of lies. There is good reason to believe that despite widespread disinformation the fossil fuel industry is dying. The courts, investors, and many banks are signaling that the end of dirty energy is already underway. The cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline is a case in point.

We need to hold both the fossil fuel industry and the Republican Party accountable. We need to rethink our conceptions of progress and question some of the basic notions embedded in the old economy. Simply put we need to counter disinformation so that we can make fact-based decisions about our energy future. A non-partisan assessment of the current energy realities points us inexorably towards the fact that renewable energy is destined to replace fossil fuels. As Stanford professor Mark Jacobson’s research demonstrates, the U.S. can get all of its energy from renewables. However, the facts are being subverted by Republican disinformation at both the state and national levels. We must counter the GOP’s unyielding support for dirty energy and their lies including their irresponsible denial of climate change. They must be exposed for their craven pursuit of power and the abdication of their duty to serve the best interests of the American people.

It is time to herald a new era powered by science and clean sources of energy. This means we need to combat disinformation so that the overwhelming logic of eliminating fossil fuels becomes apparent. Now more than ever, bringing about a better future depends on your vote.

For references see “Resources to Combat Disinformaton“. See also “Glossary of Disinformation Related Terminology“

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