Erie Times-News
Fossil fuel industry is dying and it will take us down with it
Profits and cash flow for the industry were down even before the pandemic, but Pennsylvania continues to prop up fracking with taxpayer-funded subsidies. It isn’t a jobs savior either. In 2017, the Bureau of Labor Statistics lists 4,900 direct jobs. The Department of Environmental Protection’s 2019 energy report adds 3,000 in electricity by natural gas. Combine state and federal sources for related jobs, and we only reach 26,000-50,000.
Society must move toward a circular economy that reuses, not produces more waste. While the industry wants to double plastic production by 2050, they need it; we don’t. More plastic, more fossil fuels. All they’re doing is feeding themselves and burying us in single-use plastic. Micro-plastics and pellets get into land and water during transport and production. When wildlife and humans consume these particles, they can physically damage organs and leach hazardous