Renewable energy tech breaks fossil fuel need

The article written by the Associated Press and published in the Marin IJ on March 14 with the headline “Bay Area gas prices average $5.79 per gallon” rightfully discusses the sacrifices needed to put an end to the horrific war in Ukraine. While this is certainly important, as national climate organizer for the Food & Water Watch nonprofit, I think we must go further in ending our global dependence on the oil industry propping up oligarchs around the world.

The only way to guarantee a stable, affordable energy supply insulated from global shocks is by investing in renewable energy domestically. That is why President Joe Biden must use his executive powers under the Defense Production Act to swiftly and equitably ramp up the deployment of renewable energy technologies and stop fossil fuel dependency.

As sanctions are leveraged and prices increase, it's abundantly clear who the real winners and losers are. While lowincome communities pay the price disproportionately (literally), fossil fuel companies are enjoying record profits. The industry and its allies are also cynically using the crisis as an excuse to push more for domestic drilling which will do nothing to help our wallets, but will lock us into decades of oil dependency.

It's past time to put an end to the fossil fuel industry that is driving climate injustice; including droughts, fires and other disasters we face here in the Bay Area. By shifting to renewable energy, we can rein in unchecked powers and ensure an affordable and equitable energy system one and for all.