In this issue:
- Is our climate impact hurting the poor?
- Watch my debate with Robert Kennedy, Jr.
- Two new interviews on the moral case for fossil fuels
- Best of Power Hour: Dr. Patrick Moore on a rational, pro-human approach to ecology
Is our climate impact hurting the poor?
Earlier this month I was interviewed for a forthcoming documentary on climate. I’ll let you know once it’s available. In the meantime, here is part of our discussion.
Producer: When my documentary crew met some of these people living in really bad conditions in different parts of the globe, and they say it’s due to climate change, it struck me as unfair. Don’t you agree?
Alex: It is unfair in a certain sense. But the question is: what caused the unfairness? And I think the fundamental cause of wealth versus poverty is the level of freedom that people have.
So you have societies around the world where people are not free to use their minds, to start businesses, to create value, and to trade with one another. That was true for most people throughout history.
But in Europe and America you eventually had an unprecedented level of freedom for a large number of people. And so that allowed people to discover ways to create a lot of value, to develop different technologies, and ultimately to harness a lot of energy, including fossil fuels. As a result, we built up these prosperous societies.
So when I look at places that have very low capability, they always have very low freedom. So the number one thing they need is freedom.
But the number two thing is if you don’t have freedom where you live, it’s still in your interest for other people to have freedom, including the freedom to use fossil fuels, because they develop all sorts of technologies you benefit from, like cell phones and medications.
So I don’t feel guilty. I only feel guilty if we hold back the poorer parts of the world. And that’s what people do when they tell poor nations they should use solar and wind instead of fossil fuels. They’re making people’s lives a lot worse.
Watch my debate with Robert Kennedy, Jr.
Next week I will debate anti-fossil fuel activist Robert Kennedy, Jr. on the question: “Should the world radically restrict fossil fuel use to prevent climate change?” The debate is being hosted by the Free to Be Coalition at the University of Colorado Boulder on October 21, from 7-9 PM. You can livestream the event at the Free to Be Coalition’s Facebook page. And if you’re in the area, you can attend live for free or join us for a VIP gathering featuring me, Kennedy, and moderator Guy Benson. To register for VIP or General Admission visit www.free2beclimate.eventbrite.com.
Two new interviews on the moral case for fossil fuels
Earlier this week I appeared on the Joel Riley Podcast to discuss the moral case for fossil fuels. We discussed climate, humanism, and the problems with wind and solar power. You can listen to the interview here. I also appeared on the Mandy Connell Show to discuss my upcoming debate with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. You can listen to the interview here.
Best of Power Hour: Dr. Patrick Moore on a rational, pro-human approach to ecology
This week we are featuring a classic (repeat) episode of Power Hour as my team and I continue to focus on wrapping up work on The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels 2.0.
On this episode I talk to Patrick Moore, ecologist and a co-founder (and defector) of Greenpeace about how the science of ecology has been corrupted over the decades, and how it can be fixed.
Alex