Via Allen Brooks – June 22, 2022
“Epstein is focused on the ‘big picture’ of how fossil fuels are helping the world’s population live longer, better, safer, while managing the side effects of increasing CO2 emissions. “
After his successful book, Ethical case for fossil fuels (2014), philosopher Alex Epstein has spent years speaking at seminars, at company meetings, and in webinars to help people understand why the apocalyptic view of future climate and dependence on fossil fuels is misguided. At the same time, Epstein enthusiastically questioned and listened to his “Energy Champion” to gain insight into how to cross the mainstream narrative with his sound intellectual case.
The result is a re-edited energy/climate discussion in his 430-page book, Fossil Futures: Why Global Human Prosperity Requires More Oil, Coal and Natural Gas – No Lessthis challenges the “expert” view of the impact of increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the atmosphere as humanity gains enormously from the use of carbon-based energy.
Besides dismissing the apocalyptic narrative that fossil fuels are making the world “a worse and worse place to live,” Epstein focused on the “big picture” of how fossil fuels are being used. Fossils are helping the world’s population live longer, better, and safer lives, while managing the side effects of increasing CO2 emissions.
By framing the climate discussion around the reality of human improvement since fossil fuel use began, Epstein takes on the “knowledge system” of the mainstream. manned by climate experts, supposedly anti-human and anti-energetic (ignoring human progress so far). As for the future, with the world’s population growing, Epstein frames his climate discussion in terms of “planetary livability,” which continues to improve despite rising CO2 levels.
In reality, than Atmospheric carbon has contributed to a significant increase in crop yields, further supported by the human ability to use fossil fuels to create fertilizers that boost food production and fuels to provide energy. energy for agricultural machinery which reduces the human effort required in agriculture.
Senate Testimony: 2016
The culmination of climate policy madness and the radical restriction and removal of fossil fuels from human use, in the name of avoiding planetary catastrophe, occurred during a Senate hearing. USA in 2016, in which Epstein is testifying as an energy expert based on his writings.
Moral case became a The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times best seller at that time. The exchange between Epstein and Liberal California Senator Barbara Boxer has become a classic.
SENATOR BARBARA BOXER: Mr. Epstein, are you a scientist?
ALEX EPSTEIN: No, philosopher.
SENATOR BARBARA BOXER: Are you a philosopher?
ALEX EPSTEIN: Yes.
SENATOR BARBARA BOXER: Okay. This is the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. I think it’s interesting that we have a philosopher here talking about a problem…
ALEX EPSTEIN: It teaches you how to think more clearly.
Think clearly and critically about energy and climate change To be important, especially when considering the policies being pushed that would radically restructure the world and the economies and societies of the United States in the name of limiting carbon emissions that would otherwise be cook the planet.
Data, not speculation
Scientists and policymakers, like Epstein, who are thinking critically on the topic should not be attacked for the accuracy of their data and facts, their interpretation, or policy recommendations. their results. They were fired for daring to go against the existing climate narrative. That story is often separate from the data, but the term is used to inflate fears about carbon emissions and climate change.
The public’s lack of understanding about data and climate change is not surprising in a world centered on short 30-second articles from the mainstream media who accept the approach. approach “if it bleeds, it’s in the lead” to report the news. Epstein’s decades-long mission has been to combat misinformation in concise, compelling ways.
inside Moral case (2014), Epstein argues that the world will use more fossil fuels in the future to improve lives despite the embrace of renewable energy by counter-impact (deep ecology) experts. Global dependence on fossil fuels, now 80%, has increased and continues to grow despite recent increases in investment in new renewable energy generating capacity. Solar and wind renewables account for only 3% of the world’s energy use after decades of investment, which has happened to meet mandates and subsidies.
Missing for renewable energy promoters is that their success is due to the existence of reliable fossil fuel backup energy supplies. As we see with the increasing number of grid outages, this 24/7 loss of fossil fuel backup power means that grids become more fragile as wind and solar power is lost. interruptions and possible power outages and outages. Meanwhile, according to Epstein, the world has become a better place to live. For him, “human development” is vitally important to the poorest people on the planet, who benefit from reduced rates of extreme poverty.
Epstein cites a university survey in the UK on world poverty, defined as living on less than $2 a day. The survey question is: “Over the past 30 years, what proportion of the world’s population lives in extreme poverty…?” Respondents are given three options: “decreased”, “more or less the same” and “increased”.
The responses showed: 55% of respondents said an increase, 33% said the same and only 12% said a decrease. According to World Bank data, the proportion of people living in extreme poverty in 1980 was 42%, a proportion that has fallen below 10% today. That is hundreds of millions of people are living better than today in large part thanks to the use of fossil fuels.
Climate experts ignore this fact, but it is an important measure of human progress. Global warming is an issue that Epstein acknowledges and has in fact devoted three chapters to.
He points out that the planet has warmed by 1ºC over the past 170 years. However, the number of deaths from climate-related disasters continues to fall to an all-time low. In fact, there was a 98% off among the deaths caused by disasters that occurred in the last century. This is because “climate mastery” society is made possible with the help of machinery and equipment that run on fossil fuels.
From irrigation systems to heating and cooling equipment, as well as our ability to build sturdy buildings and create early warning systems is how climate has been mastered. However, mastering the climate does not help us ignore the negative effects of fossil fuel use – heat waves, droughts, floods, storms and wildfires – but ignores the “ant system”. Our knowledge” is equally wrong with regard to economic factors and human benefits from fossil fuel use.
Four parts
Fossil futureIts 11 chapters are organized into four sections: Framework, Benefit, Climate side effectsand Fossil future flourishes.
In FrameworkEpstein rejected the climate alarmists’ framework and focused on “human development”, which he demonstrated with hockey charts showing world life expectancy, the rate of increase how the world population and the world’s GDP per capita have skyrocketed despite constantly increasing. in CO2.
The Benefit from the use of fossil fuels has led to a reduction in air pollution, a sharp reduction in the world’s flood mortality rate and especially the flood mortality rate in the G7 developed countries, along with other benefits. other benefits. The world’s population has benefited from greater crop growth and higher crop yields due to the efficiency of natural fertilizers from increasing CO2 emissions.
More food along with improved medicine and healthcare has led to a significant increase in people’s life expectancy and improved living standards. In addition, these benefits contribute to our mastery of the climate that has helped solve Climate side effects from the use of fossil fuels. While examining the side effects of fossil fuels, Epstein asked about the risks from increased CO2 emissions to the human developmental system?
Rising CO2 concentrations could have an impact on temperatures, precipitation and sea levels around the world. Rising CO2 levels could affect plant and ocean life, possibly even leading to mass extinctions of species. As Epstein says, these are all possible effects, but given the extent of climate data and computer models, the effects cannot be predicted with any degree of accuracy.
However, the responses fell into two categories: “disclaimer of CO2 benefits” and “intentionally overstated”. Climate experts focus only on those negative side effects and negate any positive benefits. CO2 is both a warming gas and a fertilizer gas, but experts will only talk about the warming aspect.
This is not only short-sighted but also becomes dishonest to humanity. Although Epstein did not point this out, American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and American English scholar HL Mencken did. “A sophist is someone who knowingly says dishonest things to people he believes are idiots.”
Epstein’s latest book is important for those who want to understand the full scope of climate change and its impact on the planet and society. Not just Fossil future A guidebook on why fossil fuels are so important to human development, but Epstein also helps readers learn how to converse with anti-fossil fuel activists.
He has been particularly tough on energy industry executives for not actively engaging those who want to phase out fossil fuels and reframe the discussion. As opposed to arguing to 100 like their opponents, energy executives seem to only argue to zero, which Epstein suggests has helped the opposition make a case against fossil fuels.
Inference
Two of Epstein’s books over the past seven years show how to reorient the conversation about climate and fossil fuels. He provided both the data and the mechanism to change the dialogue.
A more balanced discussion of his efforts would produce a less intimidating and more promising prospect, substantiated by all the data and much needed in today’s polarized world.
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Allen Brooks is the author of ENERGY MUSINGS, where an earlier version of this book review appeared (June 14, 2022). Energy Musics Contains articles and analysis that address key issues and developments in the energy industry, including a historical perspective, of significance to executives planning the future of the company. last name.
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