Why The Future Needs More Fossil Fuels, Not Less
Posted: 05-20-2022 12:09 AM
Two basic beliefs frequently circulate today: First, fossil fuels are causing imminent global catastrophe and, second, that renewable energy sources (especially solar & wind) can supply all our energy needs either right now or in the very near future.
Both beliefs are false, says Alex Epstein, author of Fossil Future: Why Global Human Flourishing Requires More Oil, Coal, & Natural Gas—Not Less. Humans, he says, are flourishing like never before precisely because oil, gas, & coal allow us to withstand a world very inhospitable to our living here.
He believes fossil fuels contribute to a warming global climate system, but argues they give us more and more mastery over the environment, and renewable replacements can't be scaled up to fulfill our needs.
Wind & solar make up just 3 percent of all energy right now, and he argues, forcing a fast-paced shift to renewables would consign billions of people to poverty or death in order to stave off the impact of man-made climate change, the consequences of which have often been exaggerated and with which humans are equipped to deal.
FULL STORY w/audio | Epstein's Site
Both beliefs are false, says Alex Epstein, author of Fossil Future: Why Global Human Flourishing Requires More Oil, Coal, & Natural Gas—Not Less. Humans, he says, are flourishing like never before precisely because oil, gas, & coal allow us to withstand a world very inhospitable to our living here.
He believes fossil fuels contribute to a warming global climate system, but argues they give us more and more mastery over the environment, and renewable replacements can't be scaled up to fulfill our needs.
Wind & solar make up just 3 percent of all energy right now, and he argues, forcing a fast-paced shift to renewables would consign billions of people to poverty or death in order to stave off the impact of man-made climate change, the consequences of which have often been exaggerated and with which humans are equipped to deal.
FULL STORY w/audio | Epstein's Site