In Tuesday’s State of the Union address, Donald Trump, as expected, sung the praises of the fossil fuel industry.

“We have unleashed a revolution in American energy – the United States is now the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world,” he proclaimed. Republicans, and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), cheered.

First of all, “revolution” is not a word one typically uses to talk about doubling down on the status quo.

Second of all, for what it’s worth, the statement is actually true. The US recently became the largest producer of crude oil. And we’ve been the top producer of natural gas for a while.

But, more importantly, this “energy revolution” is nothing to be proud of.

For one, oil and gas production is notoriously bad for human health.

Moreover, carbon emissions in the US rose last year. This is the exact opposite of what needs to happen if we want a livable planet.

According to a 2015 study, half of known gas reserves and one-third of known oil reserves cannot be burnt if we are to keep global warming below two degrees Celsius.

And that two-degree threshold is already outdated. As the IPCC report from last fall made clear, we don’t have a lot of time to get our act together.

A real energy revolution

A real energy revolution would look like what Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are introducing today in Congress: a Green New Deal.

So what does a Green New Deal entail? For one, it includes a bold restructuring of our economy to move toward more clean energy, sustainable agriculture, and public transit. Further, it demands an economic justice agenda of universal health care, a job guarantee, and other policies to blunt any negative impacts of a transition on workers. And that’s just the start.

Even better, a Green New Deal is quickly becoming a litmus test for 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. This is a sea change from a few years ago. Back then, President Obama oversaw massive expansion in fossil fuel drilling and promoted fossil fuel-driven projects across the globe. Today, presidential contenders are clamoring to propose the most progressive environmental policy.

Now that’s my kind of revolution.