special presidential envoy for climate, said earlier this month when asked about the administration’s request for OPEC to unleash more oil.The president still wants the Senate to pass his Build Back Better package of social and climate spending programs, and a consumer revolt over inflation would only make that harder. “You can’t just shut down everybody’s economy across the planet and say, ‘Okay, we’re not going to use’” fossil fuels, John Kerry, U.S. The Biden administration has said its push for more oil isn’t inconsistent with its efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by the decade’s end. “People see it every day, it is a reflection of the economy as a whole and it really scares people to see prices this high.” “It’s the most transparent price in America,” said Daniel Simmons, who was an Energy Department official under Trump. Besides the grocery store, the gas pump can be the most visible inflation indicator for consumers, and a sharp price spike can leave people searching for someone to blame beyond a faceless oil company. presidents from both parties have long viewed high energy prices - particularly for gasoline - as a threat, and with good reason.
The president recognizes the need to build a new, clean energy economy while keeping costs low for American families in the short-term, the official said. “There's no clear, coherent, overarching message here, unless you want to say they're still promoting the use of fossil fuels, because that's what they're doing.”Īn administration official pointed to moves such as Biden's swift action to rejoin the Paris climate accord and other executive actions as examples of leadership the president has taken while tackling global warming. “A lot of what's taking place will have long-term harmful effects, especially when we're talking about drilling permits, leases, pipelines - these things aren't just going to go away,” said Mitch Jones, policy director at campaign group Food & Water Watch. Steps to promote oil production will likely mean additional emissions for years to come, making the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius even harder to achieve. If the future of Biden's administration is on the line, so is the climate. With no major breakthrough at the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, and no cohesive strategy for lowering gasoline prices, Pickering added, “you look not great at either, which seems like the worst place in the world for a politician to be.”
Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers made the danger explicit last week when he said inflation threatened to usher in a return to power for former President Donald Trump, who called global warming a hoax.“That’s a challenging tightrope to walk,” said Dan Pickering, founder and chief investment officer at Houston-based Pickering Energy Partners.
The president can ill afford to let energy prices rise so high that voters turn against him. But his administration is also mindful of the energy crisis roiling Europe in recent months. to cleaner sources of energy and rein in carbon emissions. The policy whiplash reveals the tension between Biden’s long-term climate goals and short-term political realities.
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