It's time to let the fossil fuel industry die | Ilana Cohen, Connor Chung and Joseph Winters

Instead of bailing out big oil, let's bail out ordinary people instead

On the inaugural Earth Day, Americans flooded streets and college campuses to channel their fears, desire, hopes and longings into their vision for a better future. All these years later, we have failed to heed their call.

This Monday, two days before Earth Day's 50th anniversary, oil futures went negative for the first time in history. Buyers were so eager to offload oil commitments that they were willing to give their crude away at cost. This crash only emphasizes the inherent instability of the carbon economy and the need to create a more stable future. We need to disentangle our society from fossil fuels and let the industry die.