In this issue:
- Greenpeace cofounder Dr. Patrick Moore eviscerates climate catastrophism
- Wide-ranging interview on the “Hot Take of the Day” podcast
Greenpeace cofounder Dr. Patrick Moore eviscerates climate catastrophism
On this week’s Power Hour I interview Dr. Patrick Moore, ecologist and co-founder of Greenpeace. Years ago I interviewed Moore on the topic of ecology, and it was one of the most popular Power Hour episodes ever. This time, I interviewed him about the climate catastrophe movement, which he has an insider’s perspective on. He did not disappoint. In my view, he eviscerated climate catastrophism by looking at rising CO2 levels from a scientific and pro-human perspective–not the pseudoscientific and anti-human perspective that dominates today. My favorite attribute of Moore’s is that he has a sincere interest in how ecosystems work, without the anti-human bias that pervades so much of modern ecology. He is a fount of facts and insights about all things ecology, including the impacts of rising CO2 level–which he regards as a tremendous net positive. On the episode we discussed:
- Why Moore left Greenpeace.
- The beginnings of the climate catastrophe movement.
- Why Moore believes human beings would not only survive but survive better at far higher average temperatures (which would be concentrated toward the poles).
- Why Moore believes that contrary to being in a Sixth Extinction, we are actually at an unprecedented time of biodiversity with no end in sight.
- Why Moore believes “ocean acidification” claims are totally meritless.
- The commonality among opposition to plastics, GMOs, nuclear energy, and fossil fuels.
- Moore’s unrefuted theory that human beings actually saved life on Earth from terminal decline in CO2 levels.
Near the end of the episode we talked about having Moore on as a regular guest. Note: There are a few moments during the interview where Moore’s audio cuts out but all his points still come across clearly.
You can watch on YouTube or listen on Apple Podcasts.
Wide-ranging interview on the “Hot Take of the Day” podcast
Last week I recorded a fun and wide-ranging interview on the “Hot Take of the Day” podcast, hosted by (sometimes controversial) oil-and-gas-industry insider David Ramsden-Wood.
Here’s what he had to say about it.
If you don’t follow Alex or haven’t read his book, it’s absolutely worth the read.
From the discussion today, I totally agree with Alex that the oil, gas and coal industry hasn’t done a good job (or a job at all!) of advocating that not only aren’t fossil fuels bad, but that they are superior to wind and solar because they can exist as a stand alone power grid without back up, and it is always available at the flick of a switch. Humans need energy to live, and if we care about the 3 billion without it, instead of pointing to a flood and saying “see… climate change” we can provide the tools to manage them, similar to our coastal cities. Human ingenuity and adaptability is always underestimated.
It wasn’t lost on either of us that the new arena in Seattle that will be sponsored by Amazon and is called “Climate Pledge” arena is powered, in part by solar… which is interesting given that games are usually played at night.
He is thoughtful, well spoken and if I dare say, pretty brilliant.
You can watch the show on YouTube or listen on Apple Podcasts. Here’s the show’s breakdown of what we covered and when.
00:00 – 09:00: Intro & background; logical thinking, Thomas Sowell, Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, evaluation standards to decision making, relationship with nature, energy poverty
09:00 – 20:00: Human-centric development, Michael Shellenberger, Apocalypse Never, Alex Epstein podcast, clarifying values, climate change, catastrophism, nuclear power
20:00 – 29:00: Consumers and demand, anti-fossil fuel movement, rising CO2 and adaptive capabilities, anti-human impact framework, Thanos as environmentalist
29:00 – 34:30: Sustainability, Perfect Planet Premise, Anti-impact framework
34:30 – 40:00: ESG movement, Sustainability = non-hydrocarbon (and non-nuclear), renewable revolution, long-term value
40:00 – 51:00: Moral Monopolies, fossil fuels vs renewables, “unreliables”
51:00 – 59:00: Capitalism vs Communism, systemic changes and challenges, book updates, election messaging
59:00 – 68:30: COVID-19 response reactions, catastrophe models
That’s it for this week. Once again, I continue to spend most of my time in editing mode for The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels 2.0, as well as helping pro-freedom candidates with their energy messaging. In the next two weeks I’ll start releasing a series called “The Ambitious Citizen’s Guide to Energy,” which give candidates and citizens talking points for every major energy and environmental issue this election season. Thanks to all the Accelerators who help make this possible.
To Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Energy,
Alex