Climate Politics: View from Washington

Note to readers this is part of an ad hoc series and was first published on my blog site — Civil Notion. Look for new postings during the week of October 15.

Dominating politics this week is the war in the Middle East between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas, in which thousands have died and many more have been wounded. Israel’s far-right Prime Minister Netanyahu has promised a scorched earth retaliation against Hamas and other terrorist groups like the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. It appears that both Israel and Hamas are prepared for a long war.

As with all wars, it’s the innocent — on both sides — who will suffer the most. The Gaza Strip “is home to at least 2.3 million people, considered one of the most densely populated places on Earth. Israeli officials declared a “complete siege” of Gaza, cutting off water, food and power supplies.”

The war is roiling the energy sector. The price of petroleum is rising towards $100/barrel. Analysts say the crisis “could have disastrous consequences for the U.S. economy.” The price rise will contribute to inflation and could lead to an economic slump in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world.

Republicans in Washington are using the crisis to attack President Biden for his decision to release $6 billion in oil revenues to Iran for humanitarian purposes and the…