Fossil fuels are deeply embedded in our economy from "summary" of This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein
Fossil fuels are not just a form of energy. They are a set of economic interests, a way of organizing power, a bundle of cultural symbols and traditions. They are also a set of economic interests, a way of organizing power, a bundle of cultural symbols and traditions. Fossil fuel projects are typically the largest investments in any given country, often comprising the single largest chunk of foreign direct investment. They are, in the words of scholar Timothy Mitchell, a “carbon imaginary” that has come to dominate the global economy. It is not just that fossil fuel companies are deeply enmeshed in the global economy. It is also that their business model is so intertwined with our most fundamental needs that it is hard to see how we can solve one problem without addressing the other. The oil companies are planning to extract and burn five times more oil, coal, and gas than the planet can safely handle, and they are betting their futures on the idea that this will not change. In this way, their business model is directly at odds with a livable climate. This kind of logic has been so deeply embedded in our economic system for so long that it is now part of our most basic assumptions about how things work. The idea that we can continue to burn fossil fuels at current rates and avoid catastrophe is a central tenet of neoliberal capitalism. As political scientist Sheldon Wolin has argued, this system has become so totalizing that it is “not so much a structure as a way of thinking, an ethos.” At the same time, the fossil fuel industry has used its wealth and power to cement its place at the center of our economic and political systems. Big Oil is not just an industry; it is a system of power that has infiltrated every level of government, from local city councils to international institutions like the United Nations. As a result, it is incredibly difficult to challenge the dominance of fossil fuels without also challenging the dominance of those who profit from them. This is why the fight against climate change is not just about reducing emissions or transitioning to renewable energy. It is also about challenging the fundamental structures of power and inequality that have allowed the fossil fuel industry to keep us locked into a path of destruction. As long as fossil fuels remain deeply embedded in our economy, we will continue down this path, with disastrous consequences for people and the planet.
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