Fossil Fuels Prevent Sexual Assault?
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Are you ready to hear the most idiotic statement in politics from the past month?
Head of the US Department of Energy, Rick Perry, appears to believe that using fossil fuels can play a role in preventing sexual assault in Africa. It turns out that the solution to ending sexual assault does not come from addressing toxic masculinity and power complexes, but from burning coal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fxv8WhqxVLg
First of all, we’ve been using fossil fuels for decades. Harvey Weinstein’s various hotel rooms were most likely powered by fossil fuels- did that stop him from assaulting people? No. Those fossil fuels didn’t “shine a light” on any “righteousness” during those sexual assaults or any other.
Perry’s whole statement makes no sense. He claims fossil fuels are needed in Africa because they “shine a light on the righteousness”. Righteousness is an intangible concept- not a visible, solid object. You can’t shine a light on values because they are subjective figments of your imagination; varying from person to person depending on life experience and personal nature. What I think is righteous will vary from what other people think is righteous. For example, Rick Perry believes it is righteous to work for the Republicans whereas I believe it’s righteous to not sexually assault someone depending on which fuel type is powering your light bulbs or use fuels which cause major environmental damage. Anyway, with all the advances in eco-friendly energy, I’m sure biofuel could cast just as much as a powerful light on Perry’s metaphorical “righteousness”.
What’s worse is that the continent of Africa bears the brunt of much of the world’s fossil fuel use. 94% of the population of Nigeria is exposed to dangerously high air pollution levels- significantly higher than other African countries. In 2012 alone it was estimated by the World Health Organisation that 7 million Nigerians were killed by diseases related to indoor and outdoor air pollution. Ethiopia has also suffered from environmental damage, with 10.2 million people in the country considered “food insecure” because of a drought caused by lack of spring rainfall. This shortage of rain has been connected to climate change.
If the Republicans want to convince us that fossil fuels are the way forward for Africa, they’re going to have to do much more than just throw the words “sexual assault” into a debate that has nothing to do with assault of any nature.