Alex Epstein: How wrong have climate catastrophists been?

How wrong have climate catastrophists been?

Here’s something I recently shared on Twitter:

Climate catastrophists, however, have said the complete opposite: that we’ve been making our climate increasingly unlivable. So I recently posted a request on Twitter for a word to describe just how wrong the catastrophists have been.

I received more than 170 replies. Here are some of my favorites:

I’d love to hear from you. What term would you use?

The future of fossil fuel investment

During a recent speech I was asked, “What do you think about the attempt to influence the investing world not to invest in fossil fuels?” Here’s a (lightly edited) transcript of my answer:

What’s really happened is that the anti-fossil fuel movement has not had nearly as much success as it wanted getting governments to restrict and outlaw fossil fuels. So what it’s trying to do is get the companies “voluntarily” stop producing fossil fuels by putting pressure on investors.

And the reason it’s working is because of the cultural narrative that fossil fuels are destroying the planet and we’re rapidly “transitioning” away from them. That means there’s a lot of status to be gained by investors saying they’re going to help eliminate fossil fuels.

The general thing that needs to happen is to replace that narrative with one that says the fossil fuel industry is improving the world and is crucial for the future.

In terms of my consulting work, I’ve worked with specific companies trying to help them counter what I call the “transition to extinction” narrative by educating investors on the actual facts about the future of energy and the actual facts about climate.

Once you understand that the industry is vastly superior to alternatives and that the climate impacts of CO2 are not genuinely catastrophic, then it becomes clear there won’t be nearly the crackdown on fossil fuels as people think.

A few countries might engage in what I call unilateral disempowerment. But globally I don’t see that happening. Instead of “transitioning to extinction,” all of the facts suggest the fossil fuel industry will enjoy continued expansion.

In addition to helping individual companies, I’ve been looking for how the industry can challenge the “transition” narrative in a broader way.

Because right now the opposite seems to be happening: a general capitulation where companies are saying, “We want to be part of the energy transition, but you need us a little longer.” Which is like saying, “Yes, we’re like heroin, but there’s a long withdrawal period.”

That’s the opposite of the truth and the opposite of what’s effective for investors.

Energy poverty demonstration in Colorado

If you’re in the Denver area, here’s an event you might want to check out.

Energy Outreach Colorado (EOC) will host a demonstration project called Behind These Walls to highlight energy poverty, the circumstances that vulnerable households face, and how they are often invisible from the outside. The walls of their home shield others from knowing or understanding the true burden of energy insecurity.

By displaying what is Behind These Walls, participants will spotlight the many struggles that people all across Colorado face. Tens of thousands of families with children, the elderly, teachers, students, and people with disabilities or health concerns often need critical support to afford their basic home energy costs every year.

When: Thursday, February 27, 2020

Where: Denver Union Station (on the south end of the Plaza) Time: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

FREE and open to the public

Best of Power Hour: Dr. Denis Rancourt on the true physics of CO2

On this week’s Power Hour “best of” episode, I interviewed physicist Denis Rancourt, one of the most intelligent scientists I have ever spoken to, about the true physics of CO2.

You can find the work and publications of Professor Rancourt at his blog Climate Guy.
His paper on radiation physics and CO2 can be found here. The lecture based on the same paper is available on Youtube (Part 1, Part 2).