A Fossil Fuel Free Future

Imagine, in the not so distant future, a father and son stumble upon an abandoned oil well while hiking in the Red River Gorge...

Son: "You mean we used to use these things to pull dead dinosaur juice out of the ground, and we burned that instead of recycling CO2 into efuels? I thought that was bad for the planet?"

Dad: "That's right. They were called fossil fuels, and it's how we used to power our homes, cars, and airplanes."

Son: "That's crazy. Why would they do that?"

Dad: "Well, in the beginning it was cheaper to extract fossil fuels. But once we collectively realized the risk of climate change and the viability of alternatives, our elected officials began removing the subsidies which kept fossil fuels cheap and instead incentivized the technologies we use today. All that's left now is these old relics of outdated technology."

Son: "Bet!"

Present Reality

I took this photo on a hike in the Red River Gorge, KY, where there are countless operating and derelict oil derricks marring the otherwise beautiful landscape.

While I hope to soon see fossil fuel extraction cease and all associated infrastructure return to nature (ideally being removed rather than grown over), the reality is that fossil fuel use is continuing at an alarming rate. The U.S. hit an all-time global high crude oil production in 2023. Not only that, but the U.S. government continues to subsidize fossil fuel companies who extract from our wildlands, do not bother to clean up, and have no real accountability. 

We need to fight to make the above future a reality, holding fossil fuel companies liable for the damage they are doing. This does not mean turning off the spigot overnight, but it must be exponentially faster than our current pace. Leading economists agree that putting a price on carbon is the fastest way to achieve this change. We must encourage our elected officials at all levels to consider carbon pricing mechanisms, which if implemented intelligently can quickly help make sustainable fuels and other green technologies price competitive with traditional alternatives.