Big Oil's Influence on US Politics: A Tangled Web of Money and Science

The ties between the fossil fuel industry and the current US administration are becoming increasingly apparent, with big oil corporations spending over $445 million on the last presidential election cycle to influence Donald Trump and Congress. Following the election, 47 contributions were made to Trump's inaugural fund by companies and individuals linked to the fossil fuel sector, which is no surprise given Trump's "drill-baby-drill" mantra. During his recent visit to the UK, Trump surprisingly pressed Keir Starmer to halt wind farm development, a move that aligns with the interests of American oil and gas corporations. Furthermore, the current head of the Environment Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, has flipped on climate change, moving from acknowledging it as a pressing issue to planning to rescind the legal finding that greenhouse gases pose a danger. Meanwhile, the US government is facing mounting evidence from American satellites showing that old oil and gas sites are leaking methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and senior NASA officials have been secretly working to end satellite missions monitoring global carbon dioxide. However, the National Academies of Sciences is taking a stand, launching a fast-track review of the latest climate science to safeguard the nation's future from financially motivated disinformation.

Key Takeaways:

• Big oil corporations spent over $445 million on the 2020 US presidential election cycle to influence Donald Trump and Congress.
• 47 contributions were made to Trump's inaugural fund by companies and individuals linked to the fossil fuel sector.
• Lee Zeldin, the current head of the Environment Protection Agency, once acknowledged climate change as a pressing issue but now plans to rescind the legal finding that greenhouse gases pose a danger.
• American satellites have shown that old oil and gas sites are leaking methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
• Senior NASA officials have secretly been working to end satellite missions specifically designed to monitor global carbon dioxide.
• The National Academies of Sciences is launching a fast-track review of the latest climate science to safeguard the nation's future from financially motivated disinformation.
• Donald Trump has been pushing for the development of new oil and gas projects, despite mounting evidence of the negative impact of the industry on the environment.

Statistics:

• $445 million: The amount spent by big oil corporations on the 2020 US presidential election cycle.
• 47: The number of contributions made to Trump's inaugural fund by companies and individuals linked to the fossil fuel sector.
• 2020: The year the last US presidential election took place.
• 70-80%: The proportion of greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities, as cited by Lee Zeldin when he acknowledged climate change as a pressing issue.

Sources:

• Nicholas Knox
• "Big oil's influence on US politics: a tangled web of money and science" by Nicholas Knox.