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OPINION: Harvard historian dismisses concerns of Americans about the high cost of oil and gas restrictions

When President Donald Trump says he wants to drill for more American oil, he is projecting a “macho” ideology, according to a Harvard University “climate historian.”

Harvard scientist Naomi Oreskes, described by Haaretz as a “climate historian,” recently criticized President Trump’s pledge to open more land for drilling and to remove regulations on the oil and gas industry.

Oreskes spoke earlier this week at the Israel Climate Change Conference.

She said “drill baby drill” is “very macho,” and is focused on a particular message.

“It’s meant to convey: ‘We’re strong, we’re tough. We can do what we want and we don’t have to listen to those girls, those sissies, those weak-minded environmentalists,” Oreskes said critically.

She criticized supporters of American energy exploration for not wanting to reduce their own lifestyle to save the planet.

“A lot of people don’t want to be told ‘you have to live with less,'” she said, according to Haaretz. “They don’t want to be told they have to sacrifice, or that the era of abundance is over.”

However, she said environmentalists should consider the “macho” view of energy in their own messaging.

“Rather than focusing on what people will have to give up, we need to do a better job of creating a more positive vision of a sustainable economy that actually works better for most people around the globe, that’s fairer and more just,” she said.

She also criticized the idea that private businesses operate better than the public sector, directly taking aim at Elon Musk. “It’s based on an assertion that the public sector is always inefficient and the private sector is always efficient, which we know is false,” she said.

The phrase “drill, baby, drill” was popularized, if not created, by Governor Sarah Palin during the 2008 presidential campaign.

Oreskes ignores, in my opinion, that Americans aren’t trying to be greedy by supporting American energy exploration. Rather, they are trying to focus on their own economic well-being and that of their neighbors. She is coming from a good place with her concern about the environment. But she might be ignoring the economic realities many Americans face.

They don’t see what the benefits of the “sacrifice” is when Biden’s restrictive energy policies lead to gas prices climbing above $5 per gallon

Maybe because Oreskes doesn’t have to put gas in her car on a regular basis to drive to work or take kids to activities. I don’t know. She does like to fly around the world.

But many Americans who live outside of the Harvard bubble need oil and gas for their daily life. They aren’t being selfish, just focusing first on their family and those around them.

MORE: Harvard professor bullied into resigning from oil company board

IMAGE: Evan El-Amin/Shutterstock

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