For a sense of how garbled America's debate over energy has become, consider a poster

for a concert.

Every summer, some 400,000 music fans descend on Chicago's Grant Park for the Lala

Paloza Festival.

On this year's poster, a cartoon monkey shreds electric guitar as the park's famous fountain

sprays green goo over the city.

But last month, an ad appeared for Lala Paloza that looked a little different.

The monkey remained, but the headline act would be corporate greed, and the festival sponsored

by Exxonmobile, Chevron, and Shell.

The mock advertisement was created by the Sunrise Movement, early champions of a green

new deal to decarbonize America.

But instead of calling for an end to fossil fuels, the Sunrise Movement's ad demanded

almost the opposite, a cap on gas prices to make fuel more affordable.

And the Sunrise Movement aren't the only ones struggling to square their climate ambitions

with concerns about pricey oil.

I'm Charlotte Howard, and this is Checks and Balance from the Economist.

Each week, we take one big theme shaping American politics and explore it in depth.

Today, does America have to choose between energy security and tackling climate change?

President Biden came to office promising a clean energy revolution that would both

slash emissions and strengthen the economy.

But that priority has been overtaken by the need to control high oil prices and look

tough on Russia.

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