As public demands for the Democratic Party to allow a 2020 primary debate centered solely on the climate crisis ramped up Thursday, Greenpeace USA released a new report that implores the next president—whoever it is and with help from Congress—to enact ambitious policies that urgently phase out oil, gas, and coal production to prevent planetary catastrophe.

“Right now we need leaders who have the mettle to stand up to the industry at the center of the climate crisis and reclaim our democracy and economy.”
—Tim Donaghy, Greenpeace

Greenpeace’s report, entitled Real Climate Leadership: Why The Next President Must Prioritize a Fossil Fuel Phase Out, outlines the need for “a transformative Green New Deal” in the United States to ensure “a clean and prosperous future” on a global scale.

“For the next president and Congress, real climate leadership means not only saying yes to real solutions like a rapid transition to renewable energy with equitable ownership and participation, but also saying no to the destructive impacts of fossil fuel extraction,” the report declares.

Just transitioning to clean energy sources in the United States, the report explains, is not enough to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels—a key target of the international Paris climate agreement.

The United States could run on 100 percent renewable energy and still export enough oil to derail progress on cutting planet-warming emissions, according to an original analysis included in the report. “If steps are not taken to reduce domestic oil production,” it reads, “roughly half of any reduction in domestic oil consumption will be counteracted by increased oil consumption elsewhere in the worId.”

“It should be obvious that we can’t fight climate change and expand fossil fuel use at the same time, but still too many politicians are buying into fossil fuel executives’ myth that we need oil, gas, and coal to survive,” the report’s lead author, Greenpeace USA senior research specialist Tim Donaghy, said in a statement.