Let's start by getting something out of the way: Skyrocketing gas prices are not caused by climate policy.
Yes, California has clamped down on hydraulic fracking, raised the gas tax and required fossil fuel companies to pay for their planet-warming pollution. And yes, President Biden has worked to limit oil and natural gas leasing on federal lands.
But while the petroleum price surge has been caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine — and a continuing economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic — it could be a key moment for efforts to fight the climate crisis nationwide.
