"Reprehensible": Fossil Fuel Industry Infiltrates Civil Rights Convention (X-post)

[Think. Again.]

CROSS-POSTED FROM ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY FORUM

Arielle Samuelson and Emily Atkin, Apr 16, 2024
Full Article: https://heated.world/p/reprehensible-fossil-fuel-industry

Al Sharpton invited methane representatives to his National Action Network convention, where they fear-mongered attendees about renewables.

When attendees of Al Sharpton’s annual civil rights convention showed up for a panel on clean energy, the famed minister and TV personality promised them a "stellar" talk about the energy transition and racial justice.

What they got was four paid members of the methane gas industry—who described themselves as Democrats speaking "truth to power"—telling them that phasing out fossil fuels is not in the best interest of the Black community.

-snip-

”A flagrant denial of both science and reality”

The NAACP has said that methane gas “poses significant damages to the health and well-being of frontline communities” and “is not a climate solution.” https://naacp.org/resources/resolution-against-natural-gas-climate-solution-or-bridge-fuel-clean-energy-future

The NAACP has also warned against these exact rhetorical tactics from the fossil fuel industry targeting Black communities, noting that the industry creates “deceptive alliances with local churches, non-profit organizations, and other groups” to downplay the environmental and economic harms of their products. https://naacp.org/sites/default/files/documents/Fossil-Fueled-Foolery-2.0-abridged-4_1_2021.pdf

Much more in-depth article at https://heated.world/p/reprehensible-fossil-fuel-industry

From the NAACP

Top 10 Fossil Fuel Industry Tactics

1. Invest in Efforts that Undermine Democracy

2. Finance Political Campaigns & Pressure Politicians

3. Fund Scientists and Scientific Research Institutions to Publish Biased Research

4. Say Government Regulations Hurt the Economy and Low-Income Communities

5. Deny or Understate the Harms Polluting Facilities Cause to People and the Environment

6. Deflect Responsibility – Shift Blame to Communities They Pollute

7. Co-opt Community Leaders and Organizations and Misrepresent the Interests and Opinions of Communities

8. Exaggerate the Level of Job Creation and Downplay the Lack of Quality and Safety in Jobs

9. Praise False Solutions While Claiming that Real Solutions are Impractical, Impossible, or Harmful for BIPOC and Poor Communities

10.“Embrace” Renewables to Control the New Energy Economy

From: https://naacp.org/sites/default/files/documents/Fossil-Fueled-Foolery-2.0-abridged-4_1_2021.pdf

[Envirogal]

1. What the hell was Sharpton thinking???

First of all Big Polluter use underserved communities to get their infrastructure approved because they know they can’t do it in rich white communities, NIMBY factor (“not in my back yard”).

For decades, these communities take the brunt of so many negative health and economic outcomes and are easily run over politically. Like so many polluters, they externalize their harm and don’t have to face the consequences or the costs they put onto these communities.

But what is really glaring is reverend Al needs to learn what the hell methane is and is doing to our climate. Here in California, methane has finally been targeted as the serious problem it is. We have targeted getting food and other organic material out of landfill. Because of these slowly rotting materials going anaerobic, NASA has Identified Landfills are one of the biggest emitters of methane. (Livestock feeding operations, factory farms, are also a major contributor to methane emissions.)

In fact, methane in the short term, meaning a few decades, is 84 times more potent than carbon emissions. While landfills do tap into that methane gas for energy, open air sites capture only a fraction of what is emitting.

Anaerobic digestion, is another way to deal with the methane from food. And With California mandates to get food out of landfill, these facilities need to get built. And where are they most likely going to get built? Certainly not in rich white areas that will raise holy hell and cause a lot of money to fight.

So instead, they put their money into manipulation tactics like this post indicates. Why is Sharpton letting the fox in the hen house when the fox has proven for decades to not to have good intentions and abuse the community’s of which they operate?