Temperatures have soared globally this summer. And far from simply being uncomfortable, it’s killing people.
This past July 4th was one of the hottest in U.S. history. While Americans gathered to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday, dozens died from extreme heat — and the toll may still rise. In Europe, which has seen its own devastating heat wave, some 3,700 people have died. And the heat has become so extreme in Pakistan that people’s teeth are literally dissolving in their mouths.
This is only the beginning of extreme heat this summer — and if we don’t stop the climate crisis, for the rest of time. Scientists are warning that this marks “uncharted territory” in rising temperatures.
The good news? We know the solution. To build a better world, with cheaper and cleaner energy, we have to phase out fossil fuels and transition to green energy. This process is easier and cheaper than ever. Some 90 percent of renewable energy is now cheaper than fossil fuels, and renewables don’t heat our planet the way that fossil fuels do.
The bad news? Fossil fuel companies, and the politicians who support them, are trying to block this transition. Companies like Exxon have known for over 50 years that fossil fuels cause climate change — and that rising temperatures would cost lives. But they’ve tried to bury this information, stall the transition, and deceive the public that fossil fuels aren’t responsible.
I’ve seen this play out firsthand.
When I was 17, I spent a sunny week in Dubai at the 28th United Nations annual climate conference (COP28). I was so excited to attend the conference. I met other activists passionate about renewable energy and taking down the fossil fuel industry. I even attended lobbying meetings with the lead U.S. negotiators, Trigg Talley and Sue Biniaz.
Everything in Dubai felt larger than life — from the Burj Khalifa to the massive dome in the middle of the conference center. But over the week, the conference began to feel more and more dystopian. The fossil fuel industry had sent 2,456 lobbyists to that COP — and despite the loud cries of activists and scientists, their voices drowned ours out.
At the end of the conference, we had a small win — fossil fuels were mentioned in a COP text for the first time ever. But the language was so weak that the statement felt almost meaningless. The text did nothing to change the trajectory of the climate crisis.
The fossil fuel industry has propagated lies about climate change for years. They’ve tried to convince us that climate change is our fault instead of theirs, with campaigns around “carbon footprints” — a concept created by BP — and recycling, which was popularized by the plastics industry but has never managed to efficiently recycle plastics themselves.
They have also spent hundreds of millions of dollars on influencing climate decision making spaces — from United Nations conferences to Washington, D.C. Big Oil spent $445 million during the 2024 elections — and in return has gotten $40 billion in fossil fuel subsidies from the Trump administration.
The time has come for us to rise up against this deceptive and powerful industry, to finally kick them out of spaces with influence. It is high time for us to stop being manipulated by fossil fuel companies that are only out to make a profit and harm us.
As temperatures rise, we are now in a battle of people vs. fossil fuels. We must win — it’s a matter of life and death.
Emma Buretta is a Henry A. Wallace Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. This op-ed was distributed by OtherWords.org.
