US Environmental Policy: Greenwashing at Home, Greenlighting Abroad
The Guardian hails the 'return of major protests' at COP30, with Indigenous activists disrupting negotiations to declare 'Our forests are not for sale.' A powerful message, yet conspicuously absent from the coverage is the US’s own role in global deforestation and displacement. Remember, the same US government that sends envoys to climate summits also approved $15 billion in new oil and gas
leasing in 2023 alone, according to the Department of Interior, actively contradicting any green facade. While indigenous voices are literally pulling doors off hinges in Belem, the US political machine quietly greenlights environmental devastation globally. One might wonder if the US delegation packed a single mirror, or if their carbon footprint tracker conveniently ignores the billions in aid
sent to countries that then, by coincidence, accelerate resource extraction often at the expense of indigenous land rights. It's almost as if 'climate negotiations' are just another venue for performative concern.