Mark Y. A. Davies

Open Letter to President Obama: Clean Power Plan Means #Shellno on Arctic Drilling

stopdrilling8215

Dear President Obama,

Today in introducing the Clean Power Plan you said, “We can’t condemn our kids and grandkids to a planet that’s beyond fixing.” You also said that “climate change is not a problem for another generation, not any more,” and that “it is time for America and the world to act on climate change.”

Thank you for these words and for the Clean Power Plan, but how can you allow drilling in the Arctic Ocean and say that you are doing all you can to not “condemn our kids and grandkids to a planet’s that’s beyond fixing?” The use of fossil fuels is what is warming our planet. Our warming planet is causing the Arctic sea ice to melt. The melting of the Arctic sea ice is what is making the Arctic ocean accessible to oil drilling. So you are rewarding oil companies by allowing them to drill in a place that would be inaccessible were it not for climate change that the use of their product has caused. This is not good for the Arctic or for climate change, and it sends a message to our kids and grandkids that we are not really serious about leaving them a planet that’s not beyond fixing.

President Obama, you say you want us to act on climate change, so please show us the way and keep Shell from drilling for oil in the part of the Arctic that is more accessible because of climate change. To avoid catastrophic climate change, we know that most of the oil must stay in the ground. Why subject the Arctic and its wildlife to the dangers of oil exploration when we should be doing all we can to move away from fossil fuels? President Obama, it is time for you, for America, and the world to act on climate change. A truly Clean Power Plan means ‪#‎Shellno‬ on Arctic drilling.

Sincerely,
Mark Davies

Published by Mark Y. A. Davies

Mark Davies is the Wimberly Professor of Social and Ecological Ethics and Director of the World House Institute for Social and Ecological Responsibility at Oklahoma City University. He is the Executive Director of the Leadership, Education, and Development (LEaD) Hub North America of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church and an Oklahoma Humanities State Scholar. Mark has published in the areas of Boston personalism, process philosophy and ethics, and ecological ethics. Dr. Davies serves on the United Methodist University Senate, which is “an elected body of professionals in higher education created by the General Conference to determine which schools, colleges, universities, and theological schools meet the criteria for listing as institutions affiliated with The United Methodist Church.” He and his wife Kristin live in Edmond, OK in the United States, and they have two daughters. The views expressed by the author in this blog do not necessarily represent the views of Oklahoma City University or the United Methodist Church.

5 comments

  3. spot on!
    May I put this on our website, http://www.voicesofOK.org front page?
    Also, let’s sit down and talk face to face about the Citizens Climate Lobby proposal, Carbon Fee and Dividend and its economic impact. (See the REMI report.)
    Posting of facebook.
    Mf

    Reply

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