On November 2, Department of Energy Administrator Rick Perry stated that fossil fuels would help prevent sexual assault:
At best, this comment was significantly misinformed; at worst, it was a dangerous perpetuation of myths about sexual assault to justify dirty, dangerous, and deadly fuel usage from the mouths of an administration led by a self-confessed sexual assailant. This young girl was asking for access to energy that wouldn’t harm her community, instead advocating for clean energy access. Rick Perry perpetuated myths about sexual assault and called for increased use of fuels that would fuel the problems she is currently facing.
It is true that the absence of modern energy sources and renewable energy technologies in the rural developing world affects women and men differently -- including an impact on sexual assault. However Perry’s comments distorted the truth and created a false solution. Perry took a young girl’s plea for clean and consistent energy access and manipulated it into a call for more dirty fossil fuels -- fuels that exacerbate assault and illness. That is disgraceful.
Let’s talk about the facts. There is a critical need for action to improve access to clean and reliable energy for communities across the globe. But connecting that to the need for further fossil fuel development -- especially given Perry and the Trump administration’s record of propping up the industry -- is not only wrong but also diminishes the suffering of sexual assault victims.
But the most problematic implication of Perry’s comment is the idea that simply turning on a light bulb could stop sexual assault. The #MeToo campaign sweeping the nation has begun to bring sexual assault and harassment into our national conversation but, clearly, myths continue to abound. Sexual assault is pervasive in the U.S. and internationally. More than 1 in 4 women in Washington, D.C., have experienced some form of sexual harassment on public transportation.  Nationally, 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. But guess what -- day or night --- sexual assault is happening across the globe every minute, whether in the Sahara or in Hollywood.
Fossil fuels won’t stop sexual assault; in fact, they’re making it worse. Fossil fuel consumption is the leading cause of climate change, which is further exacerbating threat of sexual assault for women. This includes having to walk further to collect water in higher temperature, failing agriculture due to drought and increased food scarcity, and to increased natural disasters that decimate infrastructure and livelihoods.
Furthermore, the  fossil fuel extractive industries are actually a large source of sexual violence against women, in particular indigenous women around "man camps"where extraction occurs.  Areas where energy extraction occurs, from drilling to fracking to mining, see a sharp increase in human trafficking and gender-based violence. In North Dakota where there are over 35 companies extracting oil and have associated man camps. Here, according to a report by the Department of Justice, since extraction began, the incidence of sexual violence that indigenous women have faced has tripled -- meaning that 1 in 3 Native women are raped, stalked, or beaten each year.
What will help is access to clean energy. The girl Perry spoke to isn’t an anomaly. Nearly 3 million people die each year as a result of indoor air pollution from things like wood-burning stoves. Poverty is a key indicator of energy access, and nearly 70 percent of the world’s poor are women. More than 1.3 billion people, many of whom are women, currently  live without access to electricity. Decentralized clean energy access - such as mini-grids and residential solar -- is key to fighting energy poverty and is crucial to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal of universal energy access by 2030 that the United States has endorsed. Off-grid renewable energy technologies, such as solar, are already helping women become more resilient particularly where there is limited or no access to grid-based electricity. The Sierra Club is working to ensure that all women and families have access to reliable clean energy.
The girl in Perry’s story says she wants electricity that doesn’t make people sick.  Fossil fuels are not that. The health impacts of fossil fuels are well-documented, and the Perry and Trump plan to expand their use won’t solve problems; it’ll exacerbate them.
While sexual assault is a reality for far too many women both in the U.S. and internationally, access to fossil fuels is not the answer. Join us in calling on Rick Perry to stop making twisted remarks and start protecting the lives of women and families with clean, reliable, affordable energy.