The Harm of Subsidising the Fossil Fuel Industry

I am against the nationwide scam that is fossil fuel subsidies. The misleading acquisitive industry of subsidizing fossil fuels is both faulty and barbaric. This industry creates a reliance on fossil fuels, the destroyer of our environment. The burning of fossil fuels emits air pollutants like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Air pollutants are exceedingly threatening to humans as they could cause severe asthma, respiratory issues, lung cancer, heart attacks, strokes, or even death. The World Health Organization, an agency of the United Nations, confirms that 4.2 million deaths per year are from air pollution. Carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, also traps heat, contributing to global warming. Governments know the damaging effects of fossil fuels, but they still continue to subsidize fossil fuels today to financially support them. Use of fossil fuels must be limited, but government-authorized subsidies instead promote fossil fuels and their infrastructure. To expand, the market for fossil fuels is a trillion-dollar industry globally, such revenue will remove the possibility of implementing  renewable energy impossible. Regardless of the lives that would be saved and the protection of the environment that would come from discontinuing fossil fuel subsidies, ethics are internationally neglected to better the economy. 

Opposers vehemently claim the effectiveness of fossil fuel subsidies by asserting that they lower the price of purchasing fossil fuels, thus catering to the poor through lower food and transport  costs. However, such an assertion is ignorant, as fossil fuel subsidies solely aid the government and the fossil fuel companies themselves. As stated in a report by the International Monetary Fund, “the poorest 40% received only 7.4% of gasoline subsidy benefits, while the richest 40% received 83.2%.” Fossil fuel subsidies are unequivocally a fraudulent practice. Fossil fuel companies thrive when consumers purchase their goods. Fossil fuel companies thrive while people are suffering from the effects of air pollution. Fossil fuel companies thrive while contributing to and disregarding the climate crisis. 

The subsidization of fossil fuels is also institutionally racist, as it directly targets people of color by maliciously forcing us to live a substandard life. Socially, politically, and even environmentally oppressed, people of color endure discrimination in all aspects of life. Fossil fuel subsidies support fossil fuel companies, which emit air pollutants that affect people of color at much higher rates than whites. Such systematic racism in the environment makes everyday life a risk for people of color. Manipulating fossil fuels in any capacity releases pollution in the air, contaminating communities consisting of Black, Hispanic, Brown, and Indigenous individuals. Every possible origin of air pollution disproportionately affects people of color. A study, PM2.5 polluters disproportionately and systemically affect people of color in the United States, led by a University of Illinois researcher confirms “racial disparities in exposure levels have persisted,” and that “race-ethnicity is unequivocally the underlying factor at play.” It is indisputable that people of color are targeted by and are exposed to air pollution at higher rates than whites in America. Emissions from vehicles, construction sites, agriculture, industry, and more cause the death of thousands. In the United States, approximately 350,000 people, predominantly people of color, have passed away from fossil fuel-related pollution. Governments fail to acknowledge communities of color, who must tolerate the corrupt law that is benefiting fossil fuel companies. The unjust fossil fuel subsidy system values capital over black and brown citizens. “Racism isn’t just about racial animus. It’s about not caring about the welfare of people of other races'' (Paul Mohai).

Some may profess that ridding the planet of fossil fuel subsidies could make the economy could collapse, but in reality, people should uphold more value than economic matters. Trillions of dollars globally are being wasted on fossil fuel subsidies, yet communities of color still live inadequately due to the negligence and racism of the government. Despite the money-grubbing, racist beings in power, a future where all people could live equally without fossil fuel subsidies is achievable. An environment where all people could operate successfully regardless of skin color is an essential fundamental principle of life.   

Fossil fuel subsidies drain billions of dollars, and eliminating of the subsidies could allow that money to be used for other investments in other areas. As previously mentioned, global fossil fuel subsidies are a trillion-dollar industry that maintain a lower price to produce and buy fossil fuels. Eradicating fossil fuel subsidies around the world would not only significantly improve the state of the environment but also create a market for societal advances. For example, the US spent over 20 billion dollars in fossil fuel subsidies annually, yet 56% of university students in the US state they cannot afford their tuition. If the US focused on lowering the price of colleges rather than the price of fossil fuels, the country could fulfill the ambitions of many, as well as become a more educated nation. Currently, many students across the nation have no other choice than to unenroll from college due to financial burdens that the government will not help carry. The priorities of the US are invalid, and education is far more beneficial than subsidizing fossil fuels.

Opponents may argue that societal advances are secondary to the importance of fossil fuels. However, such an argument is deeply flawed, as fossil fuels uphold negligible importance due to their deadly and costly nature. The view that fossil fuels are necessary to function is an ignorant perspective, as renewable energy could easily and effectively replace fossil fuels. Therefore, governments must distance themselves from fossil fuels. Investments in renewable energy would substantially improve the state of living. Clean, renewable energy would also open new opportunities for the government to advance its territory both socially and technologically. Environmental barriers that exist due to fossil fuels could be removed by investing in renewable energy. Therefore, societal advances could become a main area of focus, once global fossil fuel subsidies are put to an end.