Washington, DC, August 17, 2020 — Today, the Trump administration announced plans to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil and gas drilling.
In response, Greenpeace USA Senior Research Specialist Tim Donaghy, PhD said:
“The Trump administration is fueling the climate crisis with every move. As demand for oil plummets and climate impacts wreak havoc across the world, opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to fossil fuel corporations makes zero sense. If Trump truly cared about creating jobs, he’d invest in the growing renewable energy economy and begin a just transition away from oil and gas. In reality, he’s only interested in giving handouts to billionaires.
“Oil CEOs know that if they can open up the Arctic Refuge to oil drilling — which has supported Alaska Native communities for millennia and is home to polar bears, caribou, and many other unique species — no place is off limits. But if we want any chance of limiting global warming to the 1.5 degrees Celsius outlined in the Paris agreement, scientists are clear that 100 percent of Arctic oil and gas must stay in the ground. This decision is yet another marker of Trump’s catastrophic failure as a leader.”
ENDS
Contact: Ryan Schleeter, Senior Communications Specialist, Greenpeace USA: +1 (415) 342-2386, [email protected]
