Name? Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO)
Westphalian identity? Mexican
Age? 67
Why is he in the news? Pictures and memes of a swirling ‘eye of fire’ in the Gulf of Mexico went viral over the weekend after a gas leak was reported by Mexico’s state-owned oil company Pemex just off the coast of the Yucatan peninsula.
Why do we care? Although certain officials have assured the public that the accident “did not generate any spill,” we find it a bit difficult to believe a massive fire burned on the surface of the ocean for over five hours as a result of anything but an oil spill…but hey, at least we now have reusable bags and paper straws!
Why should you care? Because this isn’t just an isolated incident. While the Gulf of Mexico burned, a historic heat wave and raging wildfires plagued the North American West. When a “heat dome” results in several days of record setting high temperatures as well as hundreds of heat-related deaths, not to mention the environmental damage caused by the ‘eye of fire,’ you should care 9/10.
Who else cares? Environmental activist Greta Thunberg (among many others). Nearly two years ago, Greta gave an unforgettable speech at the World Economic Forum claiming “Our House is on Fire” and low and behold, she was right… So as Greta stated in 2019, we will reiterate now, “Our house is still on fire. Your inaction is fueling the flames by the hour.” Is this the world you’ll leave for us, AMLO?
Any further comments? Since AMLO took office in 2018, he has spent billions trying to strengthen Mexico’s state-owned energy companies like Pemex, with the hope of making Mexico more self-sufficient in energy. This led to Pemex becoming the world’s most indebted oil company in 2019, causing many to believe that AMLO is quite literally burning money trying to revive an industry likely to be overlooked with new and cleaner technologies.
