How Can You Most Effectively Defeat Trump’s Oil & Gas Cronies? #DropPollution #DropCorruption

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Yes, Donald Trump’s so-called “presidency” is about much more than oil & gas. Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, & other hyper-racist faux news sources have filled Trump (“Don the Con,” as some people call him … as I’ve heard some people say) with a tremendous amount of crazy-person hate for “others.” I don’t have to describe who those “others” are, I hope, but it is a wonder that Don the Con is so keen to have dark skin despite being so seemingly scared of dark-skinned people.

No, oil & gas isn’t all Trump’s team is about, but his top people (and the people reportedly pulling his strings) have been so thoroughly dipped in oil that each of them could probably fuel a Range Rover by squeezing out their socks.

These oil & gas men (they are all men, aren’t they?) now have some powerful buttons to press to propel this country and world forward … or slam on the brakes. However, as powerful as they are, their efforts to fight renewables & EVs while subsidizing oil & gas could be absolutely nullified by consumers getting political with their pocketbooks.

If you’ve been waiting for that final push to go solar or go electric or drop the car and take the bike instead, this is something to take very seriously.

Many people donate a lot of money to nonprofits and political campaigns, but how much more effect could that money have if it went toward actual solar and EV purchases?

Given how much Big Pollution funds Republican campaigns and organizations, Democrats could see great progress politically by fighting back in this way. However, Republicans who understand the horrible effects of Big Oil, Big Gas, and Big Coal could also try to bring more sense back to their party by defunding these disproportionately powerful members of their party. This is certainly not a political prescription just for Democrats.

We each have our own pressures and parameters to consider. It’s easy for some of us to go electric and go solar, and not so easy for others. However, I think it is often just inertia that stops us from making a better decision — for ourselves, society, and morally. Perhaps the current political train wreck is that push you needed to get off of oil, get off of gas, and get off of coal … I’m crossing my fingers!

Given the news this week (and the fact that Californians are a pretty large portion of our readership), it is perhaps worth highlighting that Californians are in an especially unique situation. Of course, most Californians who voted voted for Hillary Clinton, and the relatively eco-minded and progressive state is already in a battle with the Trump administration. The EV market and solar market are also much more mature in California than almost everywhere else in the world. But the vast majority of drivers could still go electric and millions of homeowners could still go solar. They should.

As CleanTechnica reader Robert Pollock noted in a recent comment: “I’ve been screaming at anyone who will listen that a critical war between J. Brown and Trump’s people was imminent. And that it would immediately turn into a war of money. And that if every Californian who now drives an ICE car, would turn it in for an EV, that would put the money back into Jerry’s war chest and we could win this. Everyone is talking, complaining, warning of dire consequences, but very few step up. Now is the time. Put up or shut up.”

If you haven’t yet cleantechnified your transport and home, here are a few tips that might help:

→ Need a cheap car? Look at used EVs. The fuel savings could quickly make up for the entire cost of the car in some cases!

→ Don’t have a suitable roof for solar? Look into community solar (now apparently available nationwide).

→ Not sure if there are any fully electric cars or plug-in hybrids on the market that suit your needs? Look through the dozens that are available in California and consider a vacation to The Golden State to pick up a vehicle that suits you.

→ Check out the EV incentives available in your state. New York just got a new one, Colorado has insanely awesome incentives, Washington offers cash and more, and many other states (and countries) will help you to buy an electric car or home charging station.

Want to protest Donald Trump and the Republican Party “leadership” that brainwashed him? Stop shoveling your money to some of the biggest political bribers and fraudsters in the country.

Photo by Kyle Field

Of course, we have many other social, economic, and political problems that are probably harder to tackle than pollution. For many of those, I think this is a useful read (even if it doesn’t offer easy, concrete solutions). Thanks to the reader who dropped it in the comments.

Related:

Pope Goes Electric

What Is Wrong In Washington?

Our Real Problem With “Democracy”

EPA Almost Immediately Castrated By Scott Pruitt’s Senate Confirmation

Who Benefits If Russian Oil Sanctions End?

Why Putin Wants A Trump Kleptocracy

Gutted EPA Mileage Rules Will Please Global Petro-States

What If Obama Had Done it?

10 More Cleantech City Solutions (#21–30)


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Zachary Shahan

Zach is tryin' to help society help itself one word at a time. He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director, chief editor, and CEO. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about cleantech at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, and Curaçao. Zach has long-term investments in Tesla [TSLA], NIO [NIO], Xpeng [XPEV], Ford [F], ChargePoint [CHPT], Amazon [AMZN], Piedmont Lithium [PLL], Lithium Americas [LAC], Albemarle Corporation [ALB], Nouveau Monde Graphite [NMGRF], Talon Metals [TLOFF], Arclight Clean Transition Corp [ACTC], and Starbucks [SBUX]. But he does not offer (explicitly or implicitly) investment advice of any sort.

Zachary Shahan has 7324 posts and counting. See all posts by Zachary Shahan