A few weeks ago, STAND-LA, SoCal 350, and fellow climate change activists in Southern California celebrated the official closure of a neighborhood drilling site near the University of Southern California. While the fight to stop neighborhood drilling is critical and essential to ensure the health and wellness of California residents, demand for oil continues.
![](https://world.350.org/socal-2020/files/2020/03/3.jpeg)
In fact, California consumes the most jet fuel of any state and has the second-highest energy consumption in the nation. As oil drilling sites in neighborhoods are shuttered because of contamination of air and water, where will Californians get their oil?
One answer, as laid out in a recent video produced by Business Insider, is Ecuador and the Amazon. With fewer regulations and restrictions on drilling, the rain forest and areas populated by indigenous tribes are threatened and pollution which negatively impacts the global climate continues to spike.
With major environmental and social implications on both sides, we need to remain focused on a solution that not only serves our local communities but the planet as a whole. In addition to shutting down neighborhood drilling sites, we need limits to importation of crude oil into our ports. Moreover, California needs to invest in and focus on renewable energy sources. Unless demand for oil across the board decreases, our fight for a healthy, stable climate will ping pong from one area and one population to the next.
The SoCal 350 team highly recommends watching this insightful and informative Business Insider video about local drilling and the purchase of oil from the Amazon. As we celebrate small victories on the local level, let’s remember that to win the war, we must continue to advocate for clean energy from renewable sources and reduce our dependence on oil.
https://www.facebook.com/BusinessInsiderToday/videos/630357150871213/