Fossil fuels are driving the climate crisis.

We all need healthy air. Clean water. A livable climate that is free from extreme heat and and smoke. Thriving wildlife, oceans and lands. But a handful of fossil fuel executives are threatening all life on Earth by rigging politics in their favor and raking in record profits. Oil, gas and coal are driving us toward climate catastrophe. Nothing matters more than how fast the US can shut off the fossil-fueled broiler. We need to start the fast, fair phase out of fossil fuels immediately.

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President Biden has the power to stop it.

President Biden has yet to use the full scope of his authority to shift us off fossil fuels. In December 2023 the United States joined nearly 200 countries in committing to transition “away from fossil fuels.” Using both existing and emergency executive powers, President Biden can act to protect our climate and deliver enormous benefits for the environment, wildlife, and communities.

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We reject the injustice of the fossil fuel economy

The more oil, gas, and coal fossil fuel companies dig up and burn, the more toxic air we breathe, and the more fires and floods we all face. Fossil fuels directly harm us all – especially Black, Brown, Indigenous, and other communities of color, as well as low-wealth communities on the frontlines of systemic racism, toxic polluting industries, and environmental disaster.

That’s why all across the country, communities are rising up to demand an end to fossil fuels and a transition to a truly just and equitable future. In September 2023, over 75,000 people took to the streets to call on President Biden to End Fossil Fuels.

Tell President Biden to protect people and our planet by ending fossil fuels.

Tell President Biden: End Fossil Fuels & Declare a Climate Emergency!

It’s time for President Biden to pick a side: is he with all of us or is he with a handful of fossil fuel CEOs who are emptying our pocketbooks, poisoning our communities, and destroying our planet?

Despite claiming to lead on climate, the Biden administration has drastically expanded oil and gas drilling, production, and exports that fuel the climate emergency.

But it’s not too late to reverse course.

In January 2024, responding to tremendous grassroots pressure, the Biden administration pressed “pause” on exporting gas to countries abroad – a step towards slowing the expansion of fossil fuels. Now we need more decisive actions to end fossil fuels – from stopping all new fossil fuel projects, to phasing out oil and gas production on our public lands and waters, to declaring a climate emergency to ditch oil exports for good and turbo-charge a just, clean energy future.

The Biden administration needs to hear from you. Write to the White House now.

Learn what President Biden can do

The United States is the largest producer of oil and gas in the world. These fossil fuels are responsible for heating the planet and killing our communities.

That means our sitting president has the greatest power – and the greatest responsibility – to both lead the world toward cleaner, healthier energy systems that work for all of us and eliminate toxic fossil fuels.

Here are the actions we need the President to take:

The Biden administration must turn its current pause on fossil gas (“LNG”) export authorizations into a permanent stop. Federal agencies are mandated to ensure that all projects are in the public interest before permitting them under federal law. Because oil, gas, and coal are never in the public interest, the Biden administration should reject all federal permits for fossil fuel projects – from pipelines to plastic plants. The administration must use its existing authority to phase out oil and gas production on public lands and waters. By declaring a climate emergency, the Biden administration can put a halt to crude oil exports and hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars funding fossil fuel projects abroad.
This includes directing federal funds to build out local clean energy for the people, like community and rooftop solar, battery storage, and microgrids. It also means mandating utilities deploy renewable energy and use government incentives to displace coal, gas, and oil rather than expanding it.
This means investigating and prosecuting fossil fuel companies and utilities under nuisance and fraud suits for the damages they cause – as California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Governor Gavin Newsom have done in California – and bringing antitrust and consumer protection suits against utilities for obstructing the clean energy transition. The U.S. should also contribute its fair share of climate finance to support the energy transition of low-income countries as the world’s largest historic climate polluter.

Dive deeper into the solution

President Biden has the power to lead us off fossil fuels.

The president has called climate change an “existential threat.” Yet the Biden administration has not taken sufficient action to address its primary driver: fossil fuels, which are responsible for 85% of all greenhouse gasses.

The President has a wide range of presidential powers – separate from what Congress can do – to protect the future of life on Earth. Using both traditional presidential powers and emergency powers, Biden can live up to his promise to address the climate emergency and deliver enormous benefits for the environment, wildlife, our communities, and future generations.

Learn how President Biden can use the full scope of his powers to tackle the climate emergency, end fossil fuels, and build a renewable and just energy future.

Join the Movement!

The movement to demand that President Biden use his executive authority to end fossil fuels and build a clean, resilient energy future is growing. Over 1,200 national, regional, and local organizations representing millions of supporters are working together towards the common goal of ending the era of fossil fuels through the national People vs Fossil Fuels coalition – through the use of policy advocacy, communications, media outreach, and grassroots organizing. In September, 75,000 people joined the March to End Fossil Fuels, calling for bold action from the president. Our power is growing, and we need you with us.

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About Us

As the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute and Energy Justice Program, we wage innovative legal and grassroots campaigns to protect people, wildlife and ecosystems from climate change and the dirty and dangerous fossil fuel industry. We work to eliminate greenhouse pollution and speed the just transition to 100 percent clean, renewable energy.

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