The right way and wrong way to “change the system”

In this issue:

  • The right way and wrong way to “change the system”
  • Power Hour: The UN’s latest environmental scare, the hidden risks of rooftop solar, renewables growth stalls
  • The Human Flourishing Project: Life recipes

The right way and wrong way to “change the system”

Last Thursday a Canadian film crew visited me in Laguna Beach to interview me for an upcoming documentary on the oil-related turmoil in Canada.

One issue that came up in the questions was: What can Canada learn from the situation in Venezuela, an energy-centered country whose economy has been ravaged by bad (socialist) policies?

One lesson is a broader lesson that could benefit everyone, including Americans as we consider calls to “change the system” with a “Green New Deal.”

The lesson is: before you make a major change in a system, first understand and appreciate what works in the system.

While Venezuela had many problems before the rise of Hugo Chavez and socialism, it still had a remarkably high standard of living by historical standards. Instead of understanding and building on what was working (some elements of freedom and industrial development) they “changed the system” and made things much worse.

In Canada and the United States, we should be even more wary of calls to “change the system” because we experience a level of human flourishing unprecedented in human history. Two of the leading causes of that level of flourishing are freedom and fossil fuels.

When I hear people talking about “changing the system” who don’t first appreciate the role of freedom and fossil fuels in our amazing way of life, I do not become inspired—I become scared. What inspires me is when people appreciate what makes life great and then seek to learn from that to make life even better.

Power Hour: The UN’s latest environmental scare, the hidden risks of rooftop solar, renewables growth stalls

On this week’s episode of Power Hour, Don, Steffen, and I cover nine topics:

Listen to the episode:

The Human Flourishing Project: Life recipes

On the latest episode of The Human Flourishing Project I discuss my favorite new “life recipe” and how you can create your own great life recipes.

Alex