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60-527: The Christic Institute was a public interest law firm founded in 1980 by Daniel Sheehan , his wife Sara Nelson, and their partner, William J. Davis, a Jesuit priest. They had gained a win in the Silkwood case and wanted to continue public interest law. Christic represented victims of the nuclear disaster at Three Mile Island . In 1985, they filed a civil suit for damages against KKK and American Nazi Party members who had killed civil rights demonstrators in

120-561: A Necessity Defense in his trial, claiming that Iron Eyes had no choice to resist the Dakota Access Pipeline due to risks posed to his family and drinking water. Prosecutors dropped felony charges against Iron Eyes in August 2018. Greenpower, founded in the beginning of 2016, is a community-based organization aiming to aid the transition away from fossil fuels to locally produced and controlled renewable energy . Accomplishments include

180-522: A fuel for human consumption to provide energy for direct use (such as for cooking , heating or lighting ), to power heat engines (such as steam or internal combustion engines ) that can propel vehicles , or to generate electricity via steam turbine generators. Some fossil fuels are further refined into derivatives such as kerosene , gasoline and diesel , or converted into petrochemicals such as polyolefins ( plastics ), aromatics and synthetic resins . The origin of fossil fuels

240-634: A just transition and create policy that addresses the societal burdens created by the stranded assets of the fossil fuel industry. International policy, in the form of United Nations ' sustainable development goals for affordable and clean energy and climate action , as well as the Paris Climate Agreement , is designed to facilitate this transition at a global level. In 2021, the International Energy Agency concluded that no new fossil fuel extraction projects could be opened if

300-410: A complex mixture of high-molecular weight organic compounds, which yield synthetic crude oil when heated ( pyrolyzed ). With additional processing, they can be employed instead of other established fossil fuels. During the 2010s and 2020s there was disinvestment from exploitation of such resources due to their high carbon cost relative to more easily-processed reserves. Prior to the latter half of

360-425: A lesser extent oil and its derivatives, contributes to atmospheric particulate matter , smog and acid rain . Air pollution from fossil fuels in 2018 has been estimated to cost US$ 2.9 trillion, or 3.3% of the global gross domestic product (GDP). Climate change is largely driven by the release of greenhouse gases like CO 2 , and the burning of fossil fuels is the main source of these emissions. In most parts of

420-754: A process known as catagenesis . Despite these heat-driven transformations, the energy released in combustion is still photosynthetic in origin. Terrestrial plants tended to form coal and methane. Many of the coal fields date to the Carboniferous period of Earth's history . Terrestrial plants also form type III kerogen , a source of natural gas. Although fossil fuels are continually formed by natural processes, they are classified as non-renewable resources because they take millions of years to form and known viable reserves are being depleted much faster than new ones are generated. Fossil fuels have been important to human development because they can be readily burned in

480-406: A result of anaerobic decomposition . Over geological time this organic matter , mixed with mud , became buried under further heavy layers of inorganic sediment. The resulting high temperature and pressure caused the organic matter to chemically alter , first into a waxy material known as kerogen , which is found in oil shales , and then with more heat into liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons in

540-483: A result of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer use. According to head of a fertilizers commodity price agency, "50% of the world's food relies on fertilisers." The burning of fossil fuels has a number of negative externalities  – harmful environmental impacts where the effects extend beyond the people using the fuel. These effects vary between different fuels. All fossil fuels release CO 2 when they burn, thus accelerating climate change . Burning coal, and to

600-952: A robust organizing effort for Monterey Bay Community Power, a community choice energy program in San Benito , Santa Cruz , and Monterey counties. More recently, Greenpower has extended its work to advocate for community choice energy in other parts of the state. Daniel Sheehan taught a college-level course at the University of California at Santa Cruz on social justice entitled "The Trajectory of Justice: Eight Cases that Changed America." The course examines foundational cases between 1970 and 2000: Eisenstadt v. Baird (1970), Pentagon Papers Case (1971), In re Pappas (1972), U.S. v. James W. McCord, Jr. (1973), Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee Corp. (1975), Greensboro Massacre (Waller v. Butkovich) (1985) , American Sanctuary Movement Case ( U.S. v. Stacey Lynn Merkt, et al. ) (1984) and Avirgan v. Hull and

660-521: Is a net increase of many billion tonnes of atmospheric CO 2 per year. Although methane leaks are significant, the burning of fossil fuels is the main source of greenhouse gas emissions causing global warming and ocean acidification . Additionally, most air pollution deaths are due to fossil fuel particulates and noxious gases, and it is estimated that this costs over 3% of the global gross domestic product and that fossil fuel phase-out will save millions of lives each year. Recognition of

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720-500: Is an attempt to reduce climate change by exerting social, political, and economic pressure for the institutional divestment of assets including stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments connected to companies involved in extracting fossil fuels . Fossil fuel divestment campaigns emerged on college and university campuses in the United States in 2011 with students urging their administrations to turn endowment investments in

780-404: Is now considered a very valuable resource. Natural gas deposits are also the main source of helium . Heavy crude oil , which is much more viscous than conventional crude oil, and oil sands , where bitumen is found mixed with sand and clay, began to become more important as sources of fossil fuel in the early 2000s. Oil shale and similar materials are sedimentary rocks containing kerogen ,

840-501: Is sometimes transported by diesel-powered locomotives, while crude oil is typically transported by tanker ships, requiring the combustion of additional fossil fuels. A variety of mitigating efforts have arisen to counter the negative effects of fossil fuels. This includes a movement to use alternative energy sources, such as renewable energy . Environmental regulation uses a variety of approaches to limit these emissions; for example, rules against releasing waste products like fly ash into

900-528: Is the anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms, whose organic molecules were produced by photosynthetic carbon fixation and sequestered / biomagnified by the food web , creating an underground carbon sink . The conversion from these organic materials to high-carbon fossil fuels typically requires a geological process of millions of years. Due to the length of time it takes nature to form them, fossil fuels are considered non-renewable resources . In 2022, over 80% of primary energy consumption in

960-511: Is used in the construction of roads . The energy for the Green Revolution was provided by fossil fuels in the form of fertilizers (natural gas), pesticides (oil), and hydrocarbon -fueled irrigation . The development of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer has significantly supported global population growth ; it has been estimated that almost half of the Earth's population are currently fed as

1020-592: Is waging war on nature. This is suicidal. Nature always strikes back – and it is already doing so with growing force and fury." He also claimed there is still cause for hope, anticipating the US plan to join other large emitters like China and the EU in adopting targets to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Fossilflation is a term that describes the impact of fossil fuels on inflation . According to Vox in August 2022 , "Economists have pointed to energy prices as

1080-625: The American Sanctuary Movement . The graphic novel Brought to Light , by writers Alan Moore and Joyce Brabner , used material from lawsuits filed by the Christic Institute. In 1986, the Christic Institute filed a $ 24 million civil suit on behalf of journalists Tony Avirgan and Martha Honey stating that various individuals were part of a conspiracy responsible for the La Penca bombing that injured Avirgan. The suit charged

1140-539: The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida dismissed the case stating: "The plaintiffs have made no showing of existence of genuine issues of material fact with respect to either the bombing at La Penca, the threats made to their news sources or threats made to themselves." According to The New York Times , the case was dismissed by King at least in part due to "the fact that

1200-756: The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida . The ruling was subsequently upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States . In addition, the Institute lost its non-profit status, as the IRS ruled that its suit had been politically motivated. In the wake of this loss, Daniel Sheehan and Sara Nelson regrouped. In 1992, they became

1260-459: The climate crisis , pollution and other negative impacts caused by fossil fuels has led to a widespread policy transition and activist movement focused on ending their use in favor of renewable and sustainable energy . Because the fossil-fuel industry is so heavily integrated in the global economy and heavily subsidized , this transition is expected to have significant economic impacts. Many stakeholders argue that this change needs to be

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1320-599: The fossil fuel industry into investments in clean energy and communities most impacted by climate change . In 2012, Unity College in Maine became the first institution of higher learning to divest its endowment from fossil fuels. By 2015, fossil fuel divestment was reportedly the fastest growing divestment movement in history. As of July 2023, more than 1593 institutions with assets totalling more than $ 40.5  trillion in assets worldwide had begun or committed some form of divestment of fossil fuels. In 2019, Saudi Aramco

1380-407: The health risks of air pollution , and would greatly reduce global carbon emissions thus helping to limit climate change . As of 2021 , policy researchers estimate that substantially more money is spent on fossil fuel subsidies than on environmentally harmful agricultural subsidies or environmentally harmful water subsidies . The International Energy Agency says: "High fossil fuel prices hit

1440-406: The internal combustion engine and its use in automobiles and trucks greatly increased the demand for gasoline and diesel oil , both made from fossil fuels. Other forms of transportation, railways and aircraft, also require fossil fuels. The other major use for fossil fuels is in generating electricity and as feedstock for the petrochemical industry . Tar , a leftover of petroleum extraction,

1500-487: The 18th century, windmills and watermills provided the energy needed for work such as milling flour, sawing wood or pumping water, while burning wood or peat provided domestic heat. The wide-scale use of fossil fuels, coal at first and petroleum later, in steam engines enabled the Industrial Revolution . At the same time, gas lights using natural gas or coal gas were coming into wide use. The invention of

1560-480: The 1979 Greensboro Massacre . In litigation by the state in a criminal trial and the federal government under civil rights law, all defendants had been acquitted by all-white juries . In addition, the Institute had accused local police and Federal agents of knowing of the potential for violent confrontation and failing to protect the marchers. The Institute defended Catholic workers providing sanctuary to Salvadoran refugees (American Sanctuary Movement ). The institute

1620-418: The 21st century. Combustion of fossil fuels generates sulfuric and nitric acids , which fall to Earth as acid rain, impacting both natural areas and the built environment. Monuments and sculptures made from marble and limestone are particularly vulnerable, as the acids dissolve calcium carbonate . Fossil fuels also contain radioactive materials, mainly uranium and thorium , which are released into

1680-549: The COVID-19 pandemic, some argued for the possibility of a base effect phenomenon due to cheaper than normal prices, such as for oil, at the onset of the pandemic, followed by above-average prices which exacerbated the perceived inflation. While not expected to provide much short-term relief, the Inflation Reduction Act seeks to make the United States less dependent on fossil fuels and their ability to cause inflation in

1740-522: The Christic Institute at the Shrine Auditorium while the case was on appeal before the Eleventh Circuit. In the wake of the dismissal, Christic attorneys and Honey and Avirgan traded accusations over who was to blame for the failure of the case. Avirgan complained that Sheehan had handled matters poorly by chasing unsubstantiated "wild allegations" and conspiracy theories , rather than paying attention to core factual issues. The Christic Institute

1800-493: The Iran-Contra Affair (1986). Christic Institute The Christic Institute was a public interest law firm founded in 1980 by Daniel Sheehan , his wife Sara Nelson, and their partner, William J. Davis, a Jesuit priest, after the successful conclusion of their work on the Silkwood case. Based on the ecumenical teachings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin , and on the lessons they learned from their experience in

1860-454: The Silkwood fight, the Christic Institute combined investigation, litigation, education and organizing into a unique model for social reform in the United States. In 1992 the firm lost its non-profit status after having a federal case dismissed by the court in 1988 and being penalized for filing a "frivolous lawsuit". The IRS said that the Christic Institute had acted for political reasons. The case

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1920-538: The United States production. In addition to the effects that result from burning, the harvesting, processing, and distribution of fossil fuels also have environmental effects. Coal mining methods, particularly mountaintop removal and strip mining , have negative environmental impacts, and offshore oil drilling poses a hazard to aquatic organisms. Fossil fuel wells can contribute to methane release via fugitive gas emissions . Oil refineries also have negative environmental impacts, including air and water pollution. Coal

1980-542: The allies and architects of the Silkwood case gathered in Washington, D.C. to found The Christic Institute. Over the next 12 years, as General Counsel for the Institute, Sheehan helped prosecute some of the most celebrated public interest cases of the time. Christic represented victims of the nuclear disaster at Three Mile Island . They conducted a civil suit, seeking damages from KKK and American Nazi Party (ANP) members for

2040-458: The atmosphere. In December 2020, the United Nations released a report saying that despite the need to reduce greenhouse emissions, various governments are " doubling down " on fossil fuels, in some cases diverting over 50% of their COVID-19 recovery stimulus funding to fossil fuel production rather than to alternative energy. The UN secretary general António Guterres declared that "Humanity

2100-532: The atmosphere. In 2000, about 12,000 tonnes of thorium and 5,000 tonnes of uranium were released worldwide from burning coal. It is estimated that during 1982, US coal burning released 155 times as much radioactivity into the atmosphere as the Three Mile Island accident . Burning coal also generates large amounts of bottom ash and fly ash . These materials are used in a wide variety of applications (see Fly ash reuse ), utilizing, for example, about 40% of

2160-873: The creation of a tribal foster care program funded with direct Title IV-E of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 funds from the federal government. In 2016, the Lakota People's Law Project expanded its mission to include land and water issues during the controversial protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline on the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Indian Reservation in North Dakota . LPLP defended water protector and attorney Chase Iron Eyes following his arrest in February 2017 and attempted to use

2220-711: The data show that fossil fuels cause the highest levels of greenhouse gas emissions and are the most dangerous for human health. In contrast, modern renewable energy sources appear to be safer for human health and cleaner. The death rates from accidents and air pollution in the EU are as follows per terawatt-hour (TWh): As the data shows, coal, oil, natural gas, and biomass cause higher death rates and higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions than hydropower, nuclear energy, wind, and solar power. Scientists propose that 1.8 million lives have been saved by replacing fossil fuel sources with nuclear power. Fossil fuel divestment or fossil fuel divestment and investment in climate solutions

2280-571: The defendants with illegally participating in assassinations, as well as arms and drug trafficking. Among the 30 defendants named were Iran–Contra figures John K. Singlaub , Richard V. Secord , Albert Hakim , and Robert W. Owen; Central Intelligence Agency officials Thomas Clines and Theodore Shackley ; Contra leader Adolfo Calero ; Medellin cartel leaders Pablo Escobar Gaviria and Jorge Ochoa Vasquez ; Costa Rican rancher John Hull; and former mercenary Sam N. Hall. On June 23, 1988, United States federal judge James Lawrence King of

2340-931: The economy. Moody's estimates that by 2030, the bill could reduce the typical American household's spending on energy by more than $ 300 each year, in 2022 dollars. Environmental pollution from fossil fuels impacts humans because particulates and other air pollution from fossil fuel combustion may cause illness and death when inhaled. These health effects include premature death, acute respiratory illness, aggravated asthma, chronic bronchitis and decreased lung function. The poor, undernourished, very young and very old, and people with preexisting respiratory disease and other ill health are more at risk. Global air pollution deaths due to fossil fuels have been estimated at over 8 million people (2018, nearly 1 in 5 deaths worldwide) at 10.2 million (2019), and 5.13 million excess deaths from ambient air pollution from fossil fuel use (2023). While all energy sources inherently have adverse effects,

2400-490: The federal government and its private contractors about UFO technology and nonhuman intelligent visitors. Founded in 2004, the Lakota People's Law Project (LPLP) began as a group of Lakota grandmothers organizing around issues relating to the Indian Child Welfare Act . The "Lakota Child Rescue Project" was created to assist in the return of Lakota children to families, tribes, and communities and expanded to include

2460-474: The global economy and society wants to avoid the worst impacts of climate change and meet international goals for climate change mitigation . The theory that fossil fuels formed from the fossilized remains of dead plants by exposure to heat and pressure in Earth's crust over millions of years was first introduced by Andreas Libavius "in his 1597 Alchemia [Alchymia]" and later by Mikhail Lomonosov "as early as 1757 and certainly by 1763". The first use of

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2520-465: The importance of energy, transport and chemical industries to local, national and international economies, these lobbies have the capacity and money to attempt to have outsized influence on governmental policy. In particular, the lobbies have been known to obstruct policy related to environmental protection , environmental health and climate action . Lobbies are active in most fossil-fuel intensive economies with democratic governance, with reporting on

2580-518: The leaders of the Christic Institute's successor organization, the Romero Institute. The New Paradigm Institute (NPI) was founded in 2023 by Daniel Sheehan and Sara Nelson as a subsidiary of the Romero Institute. Jim Garrison joined later that same year as the director of the Washington, D.C. office. On the heels of Danny Sheehan’s 40 years of UFO advocacy, dating back to the Carter administration, NPI

2640-631: The lobbies most prominent in Canada, Australia, the United States and Europe, however the lobbies are present in many parts of the world. Big Oil companies such as ExxonMobil , Shell , BP , TotalEnergies , Chevron Corporation , and ConocoPhillips are among the largest corporations associated with the fossil fuels lobby. The American Petroleum Institute is a powerful industry lobbyist for Big Oil with significant influence in Washington, D.C. In Australia, Australian Energy Producers , formerly known as

2700-485: The main reason for high inflation," noting that "energy prices indirectly affect virtually every part of the economy". Sectors that raise prices significantly as a result of higher fossil fuel prices include transportation, food, and shipping. Mark Zandi of Moody's says that fossil fuel prices have driven every big episode of inflation since WWII. The economic impact of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine in 2022

2760-537: The murder of five civil rights demonstrators in the Greensboro Massacre . In addition, they charged the city, certain police and four Federal agents with having known of the potential for violence and failing to protect the protesters. The jury awarded damages to the plaintiffs against the city, the police department, and the KKK and ANP. The Institute defended Catholic workers providing sanctuary to Salvadoran refugees in

2820-463: The open atmosphere to produce heat. The use of peat as a domestic fuel predates recorded history. Coal was burned in some early furnaces for the smelting of metal ore , while semi-solid hydrocarbons from oil seeps were also burned in ancient times, they were mostly used for waterproofing and embalming . Commercial exploitation of petroleum began in the 19th century. Natural gas, once flared-off as an unneeded byproduct of petroleum production,

2880-408: The poor hardest, but subsidies are rarely well-targeted to protect vulnerable groups and tend to benefit better-off segments of the population." The fossil fuels lobby includes paid representatives of corporations involved in the fossil fuel industry ( oil , gas , coal ), as well as related industries like chemicals , plastics , aviation and other transportation. Because of their wealth and

2940-456: The ruling, and the Supreme Court of the United States let the judgment stand by refusing to hear an additional appeal. The fine was levied in accordance with “Rule 11” of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which says that lawyers can be penalized for frivolous lawsuits. On November 16 and 17, 1990, Bruce Springsteen , Bonnie Raitt , and Jackson Browne performed a benefit concert for

3000-686: The term "fossil fuel" occurs in the work of the German chemist Caspar Neumann , in English translation in 1759. The Oxford English Dictionary notes that in the phrase "fossil fuel" the adjective "fossil" means "[o]btained by digging; found buried in the earth", which dates to at least 1652, before the English noun "fossil" came to refer primarily to long-dead organisms in the early 18th century. Aquatic phytoplankton and zooplankton that died and sedimented in large quantities under anoxic conditions millions of years ago began forming petroleum and natural gas as

3060-414: The vast majority of the 79 witnesses Mr. Sheehan cites as authorities were either dead, unwilling to testify, fountains of contradictory information or at best one person removed from the facts they were describing." On February 3, 1989, King ordered the Christic Institute to pay $ 955,000 in attorney's fees and $ 79,500 in court costs . The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed

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3120-480: The victims); and they defended Catholic workers providing sanctuary to Salvadoran refugees (American Sanctuary Movement ). Its headquarters were in Washington, D.C. , with offices in several other major United States cities. The Institute received funding from a nationwide network of grassroots donors, as well as organizations like the New World Foundation . In 1979, Daniel Sheehan, Sara Nelson and many of

3180-560: The world and over 60% of its electricity supply were from fossil fuels. The large-scale burning of fossil fuels causes serious environmental damage . Over 70% of the greenhouse gas emissions due to human activity in 2022 was carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) released from burning fossil fuels. Natural carbon cycle processes on Earth, mostly absorption by the ocean , can remove only a small part of this, and terrestrial vegetation loss due to deforestation , land degradation and desertification further compounds this deficiency. Therefore, there

3240-491: The world climate change is negatively impacting ecosystems . This includes contributing to the extinction of species and reducing people's ability to produce food, thus adding to the problem of world hunger . Continued rises in global temperatures will lead to further adverse effects on both ecosystems and people; the World Health Organization has said that climate change is the greatest threat to human health in

3300-480: Was a major recent example of fossil fuels causing inflation. Some economists, including Isabel Schnabel , believe that dependence on fossil fuels is the main driver of the 2021-2022 inflation spike . Gernot Wagner argues that commodities are undesirable energy sources because they are susceptible to volatile price swings that technologies like renewable energy are not. He also argues that technologies improve and get relatively cheaper over time. Coming out of

3360-404: Was based in Washington, D.C., with offices in several other major U.S. cities. The Institute received funding from a nationwide network of grass-roots donors, as well as organizations like the New World Foundation . In 1988, the Christic Institute was ordered to pay $ 955,000 in attorneys fees and $ 79,500 in court costs as the result of a $ 24 million lawsuit that was deemed to be frivolous by

3420-600: Was founded as a public policy and law citizen watchdog group to follow the progress of the UAP Disclosure Act (later passed into law as Subtitle C - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (NDAA). The mission of the New Paradigm Institute is to inform the public of the true facts surrounding the UFO/ET phenomenon and to mobilize citizens to secure full and responsible disclosure of information held by

3480-753: Was listed and it reached a US$ 2 trillion valuation on its second day of trading, after the world's largest initial public offering. Fossil fuel subsidies are energy subsidies on fossil fuels, and in 2023 totalled over 1 trillion dollars. They may be tax breaks on consumption , such as a lower sales tax on natural gas for residential heating ; or subsidies on production , such as tax breaks on exploration for oil . Or they may be free or cheap negative externalities ; such as air pollution or climate change due to burning gasoline , diesel and jet fuel . Some fossil fuel subsidies are via electricity generation , such as subsidies for coal-fired power stations . Eliminating fossil fuel subsidies would reduce

3540-620: Was related to journalists injured in relation to the Iran–Contra Affair . The group was succeeded by a new firm, the Romero Institute . Christic notably represented victims of the nuclear disaster at Three Mile Island ; they prosecuted KKK and American Nazi Party members for killing Communist Workers Party demonstrators in the 1979 Greensboro Massacre (they also charged certain police and federal agents who they said had known about potential violence and had not adequately protected

3600-449: Was succeeded by the Romero Institute . Fossil fuel A fossil fuel is a carbon compound - or hydrocarbon -containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the buried remains of prehistoric organisms ( animals , plants or planktons ), a process that occurs within geological formations . Reservoirs of such compound mixtures , such as coal , petroleum and natural gas , can be extracted and burnt as

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