Climate Change is a Real Thing: The Price of Political Corruption

Introduction: Climate Change is a Real Thing

Climate change isn’t some far-off threat; it’s here, reshaping our lives in undeniable ways. We’re grappling with stronger hurricanes, unprecedented heat waves, and flooding rains. Yet, as the planet warms, American politicians remain inexplicably inert. Why? The answer lies in legalized corruption, where industries funnel unlimited sums into political campaigns under the guise of “free speech.”

Climate Change is a Real Thing: Extreme Weather’s Wrath

Consider the disasters we’ve seen recently. Hurricane Ian devastated Florida in 2022, leaving destruction worth over $100 billion. Tornado outbreaks in 2023 tore through the Midwest, flattening entire neighborhoods. Rising sea levels continue to eat away at coastal towns, and deadly heat waves this summer broke records across the Southern U.S. These events are no longer isolated; they’re the predictable result of rising CO₂ emissions and unchecked industrial pollution.

While the science points to solutions—transitioning to renewable energy, investing in resilient infrastructure—moneyed interests make sure these steps remain “debated” rather than enacted.

Corporate Greed Masquerading as Free Speech

The 2010 Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court decision opened the floodgates for corporations to influence politics under the pretext of free speech. This ruling allows industries to pump unlimited cash into campaigns, creating a feedback loop where politicians prioritize donors over voters.

In the 2024 election cycle, fossil fuel giants ExxonMobil and Chevron funneled a combined $50 million into super PACs supporting candidates who oppose climate regulations. Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat often aligned with the coal industry, received over $1 million in contributions from fossil fuel executives in the first half of 2024 alone. Meanwhile, Republican candidates like Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump received tens of millions from oil and gas tycoons, ensuring no serious climate legislation would advance if they gained power.

Climate Change is a Real Thing: Greed Before People

These contributions don’t just buy advertisements; they buy silence. For example, despite overwhelming evidence of the need to transition from fossil fuels, Congress has repeatedly blocked bills that would end subsidies for oil and gas companies. Why? Because those same companies are the ones funding reelection campaigns.

Corporate lobbying doesn’t stop with campaign contributions. In 2023, oil and gas firms spent over $150 million lobbying Congress, delaying clean energy incentives included in President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. Even industries that could benefit from clean energy, like auto manufacturers, hedge their bets by backing both sides of the aisle. In total, lobbying efforts by energy companies eclipse the environmental sector’s spending by nearly 10 to 1.

Corporations Are Not People Despite The Supreme Court’s Flawed Logic

Let’s be clear: corporations are not people. They may be run by individuals, but their goals are fundamentally different. Corporations exist to maximize profits, often measured in quarterly balance sheets, not long-term sustainability. This creates a perverse incentive where short-term gains—boosted by cheap oil and gas—outweigh the catastrophic consequences of rising global temperatures.

Late-stage capitalism thrives in this environment, where corporate interests dictate public policy. Climate change is a casualty of this greed. The fossil fuel industry doesn’t just deny the science; it actively works to confuse the public and delay reforms. As a result, while communities drown, burn, or bake, corporations and their political allies count their profits.

Climate Change is a Real Thing: Fighting Back

To combat this legalized bribery, we need bold reforms. Overturning Citizens United is crucial, as is implementing strict campaign finance limits. The American people overwhelmingly support stronger climate policies, but their voices are drowned out by billionaire-backed super PACs. Accountability must extend beyond politicians; corporations profiting from inaction should face penalties commensurate with the damage they cause.

Of course, we call our government a Representative Republic where the original intent of the founders was REPRESENTATIVE meant the people elect Senators and Representatives to represent their interests. The Supreme Court turned that concept on its head so that representative means, not the people but corporations. It seems they are the new people.

Draw a straight line to Ronald Reagan and every president after him to adopt the Randian notion of self-preservation through greed and selfishness. Forget empathy, forget compassion, and forget the self-interest in not contributing to the extinction of life on earth for the sake of another million-dollar (or more, bonus check.)

We can’t afford to let greed continue to shape our future. It’s time to remind our leaders that the planet belongs to all of us—not just the highest bidder.

Sources Cited

OpenSecrets.org. (2024). Fossil Fuel Campaign Contributions in 2024.

Center for Responsive Politics. (2024). Lobbying Spending Database.

IPCC. (2023). Climate Change 2023: The Physical Science Basis.

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. (2023). Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters.

Suggestions for Further Reading

Kolbert, E. (2015). The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History.

McKibben, B. (2019). Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?

Wallace-Wells, D. (2019). The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming.

Goodell, J. (2017). The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World.

Klein, N. (2014). This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate.

Mann, M. E. (2021). The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet.

Parenti, C. (2011). Tropic of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence.

Bacevich, A. (2020). The Age of Illusions: How America Squandered Its Cold War Victory.

Chakrabarty, D. (2021). The Climate of History in a Planetary Age.

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