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The Power Liars: How Google, Microsoft, and Amazon pretend to be 100% renewable

https://industrialprogress.com/the-power-liars-how-google-microsoft-and-amazon-pretend-to-be-100-renewable/

By Alex Epstein

The Power Liars: How Google, Microsoft, and Amazon pretend to be 100% renewable

In this issue:

  • Upcoming “Accelerator call”: an overview of The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels 2.0
  • The Power Liars: How Google, Microsoft, and Amazon pretend to be 100% renewable
  • New interview on “COB Tuesday”
  • New interview on “Death to Tyrants” podcast
  • Catch up on the Human Flourishing Project

Upcoming “Accelerator call”: an overview of The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels 2.0

Thanks to the generous support of our Accelerators I’ve been able to invest a lot of time and resources lately on my writing. Most of that time has been on finishing The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels 2.0. Next week I’ll be hosting the first of what I hope to be many “Accelerator calls” to discuss strategy, share new insights, and answer questions. This one will be an overview of The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels 2.0. I’ll be sharing a detailed outline of the book, explaining some of the major changes, and answering questions. 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.

The Power Liars: How Google, Microsoft, and Amazon pretend to be 100% renewable

Last week Google made headlines by refusing to develop new AI technologies for oil and gas companies.

The common narrative on this issue is: Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are doing a good job by becoming 100% renewable themselves, but undercutting that by helping oil and gas companies become more efficient. This narrative was put forward by a Greenpeace report that prompted Google’s announcement.

My view is the exact opposite: Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are doing a good job by using digital technologies to help oil and gas companies become more efficient—but undercutting that with dishonest and cowardly claims that they are anywhere near “100% renewable.”

I discuss why on this week’s Power Hour, featuring my long-time researcher Steffen Henne.

We discuss:

  • Why no company is or can be 100% renewable for the foreseeable future.
  • The three dishonest techniques companies use to claim that they are “100% renewable” or “carbon neutral.”
  • How Google, Microsoft, and Amazon use these techniques to deceive the public.
  • Why companies’ refusal to consider nuclear energy is cowardly.
  • How 100% renewable propaganda pollutes the energy debate.

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