In this issue:
- The reality of “green jobs” programs
- Anas Alhajji on the future of energy and energy security
- A story about the need for reliable energy
- Op-ed making the moral case for fossil fuels
- Accelerator Call on January 17th
The reality of “green jobs” programs
Since “jobs” will be a central theme of Biden’s plans, I want to keep hammering home the point that unaffordable, unreliable energy leads to “green joblessness.”
I encourage you to read or reread my green energy jobs talking points on this topic:
https://energytalkingpoints.com/green-energy-jobs/
We’re doing some research on the various failed promises and corruption that “green jobs” schemes have led to. But the most important point is even if they create “green jobs” they destroy many more productive jobs.
Here are some new points that I posted on Twitter:
- Joe Biden loves to say: “When I think about climate change, the word I think of is ‘jobs.'” The main problem here is that Biden’s “climate policies,” would create “green joblessness” by making electricity unaffordable and unreliable for US businesses.
- A case study for how promises of green jobs lead to green joblessness is Ontario, which passed the Green Energy Act in 2009, promising 50,000 green jobs and not acknowledging the skyrocketing costs that come from adding unreliable electricity to the grid. It was repealed in 2019.
- In practice the Green Energy Act’s 50K jobs “proved illusory: the government now admits the 50,000 jobs claim was not based on any formal analysis…and the estimate didn’t account for the jobs that would be killed by escalating electricity costs under the GEA.” –economist Ross McKittrick (See this excellent article.)
Anas Alhajji on the future of energy and energy security
On this week’s Power Hour I interview international energy economist Anas Alhajji about the future of energy and energy security.
We cover:
- What factors affect energy security
- How overreliance on electricity is a threat to energy security
- The future of competition with the global oil industry using solar, wind, and batteries
- The future of competition within the global oil industry, including US shale, OPEC, and Russia
- The contradictions of the modern environmental movement
You can watch on YouTube or listen on Apple Podcasts.
A story about the need for reliable energy
Reader Lee Thomas recently shared a note with me on his experiences visiting the extremely poor country of Zambia–including how a lack of reliable energy hampers development.
There is not any fundamental difference in the people of Zambia to the other countries on our trip – if anything they are more driven, resilient, and positive than people we encounter in the United States. Zambia has not had access to reliable and consistent power to raise its people to enjoy the same benefits we have.
….
The power issue in Zambia pre-dates the current green movement, but the focus on “renewable” power and the restrictions contemplated on fossil fuels – both government restriction and “green” capital market forces – have the effect of denying the economic fuel to people that deserve it across the world. Withholding reliable energy from the world is tragic in a way that most policy makers understand about as much as having to work a different job everyday to feed their kids and flies in the face of the notion of justice on multiple levels.
You can read his full note here.
Op-ed making the moral case for fossil fuels
Professor Steve Soychak of Colorado Mesa University (which hosted me for a speech and Q&A at the beginning of this year) recently published an op-ed, “Give thanks for fossil fuels,” that cites my work.
I want to give thanks this holiday season to the men and women who have been responsible for developing the COVID vaccine in record time that will ultimately save millions of lives in the upcoming year. This would not have been possible without fossil fuels.
…
The reason fossil fuels will still be the dominant energy source in the next 30 years is because everything that makes our life more comfortable and affordable are derived from them — machines, fertilizers, electricity, and many other materials.As Epstein explains in his YouTube presentation, fossil fuels have prevented climate deaths by sheltering, transporting and protecting us from the elements of Mother Nature. We are a planet that has gone from 1 billion people 250 years ago to almost 8 billion today due to doubling of life expectancy. Modern industrialization driven by the fossil fuel industry has provided most of this. Even pharmaceuticals are primarily derived from fossil fuel petrochemicals that have extended all of our lives on Earth.
Accelerator Call on January 17th
On Sunday, January 17th at 2 pm PST I’ll be hosting an Accelerator Call to discuss strategy, share new insights, and answer questions.
In addition to sharing the latest on my book and on Energy Talking Points I will give a brief presentation “How to Change the Moral Narrative on Energy.” I have been learning a lot about “moral narratives” lately and am eager to share my latest views.
If you’re already an Accelerator, you’ll get an invitation.
If you’re not and want to come on the call, become an Accelerator at any level.
Note: For Accelerators who can’t attend I’ll make a recording of the call available for a week.
To close my last newsletter of the year I want to wish everyone a happy 2021. There are surely difficult times ahead in the world of energy, but just as surely the champions of energy will be better armed than ever.
To Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Energy,
Alex