This summer has emerged as the warmest in recorded history, following last year’s record-breaking levels of global fossil fuel consumption which continue to escalate the climate crisis. Amid this alarming scenario, former President Barack Obama and his top White House strategist, David Axelrod, have taken to public platforms to decry climate inaction, despite their past contributions to the exacerbation of this crisis. The pair chose to escalate fossil fuel production during their time in power rather than prioritize climate policy, even as they enjoyed a significant influx of campaign donations from the oil and gas industry. Obama’s 2018 boast about the unprecedented fossil fuel boom under his presidency, advised by Axelrod, highlights the contradiction between their past actions and their current advocacy for climate action.

While they now publicly advocate for climate policy, their refusal to acknowledge their past contributions to the climate crisis stands in stark contrast. This posturing risks rendering their recent statements as mere lip service, undermining the accountability needed for the United States to adhere to its climate commitments. This contradiction was underscored this week when President Joe Biden acknowledged climate change as an “existential threat,” but refrained from declaring a climate emergency or limiting fossil fuel extraction. This strategy, initially adopted by Obama and Axelrod, could potentially be reformed if they were to openly accept their past roles in escalating the crisis and used their significant influence to advocate for stronger action from Biden and other Democratic leaders to adhere to the Paris Agreement.