Interior secretary: ‘Keep it in the ground’ activists 'naive'

[n2doc]

By Timothy Cama - 05/06/16 01:08 PM EDT

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell had harsh criticism for activists who want to dramatically reduce the production of fossil fuels.

Jewell said the activists, who call their movement “keep it in the ground,” ignore the fact that for the time being, the country is dependent on oil, natural gas and coal.

“It’s going to take a very long time before we can wean ourselves from fossil fuels, so I think that to keep it in the ground is naive, to say we could shift to 100 percent renewables is naïve,” Jewell told The Desert Sun newspaper after a California event to dedicate new national monuments in the desert.

“We really have to have a blend over time, and a transition over time, that recognizes the real complexity of what we're dealing with,” she said.

more
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/279014-interior-secretary-slams-keep-it-in-the-ground-activists

Why do I have this feeling that "a very long time" will be the same as the time it takes to extract every last bit of fossil fuel from the Earth?

In the meantime we can all fry. It is far more important that the Koch's, ExxonMobil, and coal mining co's get their fucking investment returns maximized.

[alarimer]

1. At least leave it in the ground in national parks.

I'm not sure why the Secretary of the Interior felt she had to weigh in, but extractive industries have no place in protected lands. None whatsoever. I know it happens, but it shouldn't be allowed.

[Octafish]

2. Big Oil

Gotta love the ability to disregard reality for the sake of profit.

Jimmy Carter started to wean the country off oil in 1977. Big Oil's answer: Sic the Safari Club on him.

[truebluegreen]

3. The problem with the "blend over time" bs

is that the new blend is making shit worse (releasing methane which is many times worse than CO2) and accelerating the feed-back loops. We need to make the commitment to renewables and make the break ASAP.

In a just world Exxon et al would be prosecuted under RICO, have all their ill-gotten assets seized and used to make the change. But of course TPTB don't want that: who would fund their campaigns and pad their portfolios?

[hunter]

4. I know exactly what I want: The end of our high energy fossil fueled economy...

... for an economy that doesn't treat the people and the planet as disposable commodities.

[NickB79]

5. Appointed by Pres. Obama, trained as a petroleum engineer, former REI CEO

https://www.doi.gov/whoweare/secretaryjewell

Well, isn't that just fucking peachy.

And FYI, we have officially run out of time to wean ourselves off fossil fuels. The Arctic is a massive slushy, Canada's on fire, the Great Barrier Reef is half dead from ocean warming, and we're looking at the warmest year in history right now.

[n2doc]

6. Well big changes are just, you know, impossible

At least, that's the message. Sounds familiar to anyone following the Democratic Primaries, too.

If this were somehow being done to us by an outside force, say, space aliens, you know damn well we would find a way, fast.

[ljm2002]

7. Clueless and destructive to the end...

...that's what Establishment politics has been.

And unfortunately, the end is a lot closer than they think.

If we were to stop using fossil fuels right now, if we were to change our way of life globally (much less travel, much less shipping of goods, much less driving, much less use of energy in general), and if some genius were to come up with a way to quickly remove excess carbon and methane from the atmosphere... IF all of that happened we MIGHT have a very long-shot chance of averting global catastrophe.

Not bloody likely, sadly. And these people, these "elites", just continue heading us all right for the cliff, full speed ahead.

I am not looking forward to the next few years. And the fact that I have children makes it all that much more difficult to deal with the reality that we are facing.

[MisterP]

8. Trump: "I'm chanting 'Drill here, drill now'? At least I'm not waiting after the election to do it!"