Tax Big Oil's War Windfall Profits to Fund Climate Repair

Pass a windfall profits tax on oil and gas companies now, and direct the revenue toward climate adaptation and a renewable energy transition. Eight oil giants — including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, and BP — made $93 billion in a single quarter, more than $700,000 every minute, while families across this country watched their energy bills climb and their summers turn deadly. This isn't abstract. Europe's worst ever heatwave killed an estimated 20,000 people this summer. Wildfires in the US and Canada caused roughly 4,000 deaths in a single week. Scientific research published last September directly linked the emissions of any one of the 14 biggest oil companies to more than 50 heatwaves that would otherwise have been virtually impossible. BP alone doubled its profits to $5.73 billion in one quarter while simultaneously gutting its clean energy budget from $5 billion to under $2 billion a year. These companies are profiting from the crisis they created. Even Donald Trump has accused Chevron and ExxonMobil of "making too much money" from the Iran war. If that's the political consensus, there's no excuse for inaction. Make the polluters pay — for fire defenses, flood barriers, and the solar buildout we need.