Most smart people have taught to ignore the massive benefits of fossil fuel use and catastrophize its side-effects. This renders them dumb and, worse, dangerous on this issue. A good case study here is the latest NYT article by the very smart @EzraKlein.
nytimes.com/2021/07/15/opi…
nytimes.com/2021/07/15/opi…
One way in which @EzraKlein and most other thought leaders both ignore the benefits and catastrophize the side-effects of fossil fuels is by denying the fossil fueled *climate mastery* that has occurred as temps have risen 1 degree in 170 years.
Image by @ShellenbergerMD
Image by @ShellenbergerMD
The climate mastery denial of @EzraKlein leads him to the unbelievable conclusion that "three degrees" of warming--which really means two, because one has already occurred--"is still a catastrophe of truly incomprehensible proportions" for the most adaptable species ever.
In @EzraKlein's article there is no mention of the uniquely low-cost, on-demand, versatile, global-scale energy we get from fossil fuels, and its life-changing benefits--only negative side-effects. This is like writing about the Covid-19 vaccine and only mentioning side-effects.
In @EzraKlein's article there is no mention of the fact that billions of people lack the low-cost, reliable energy they need to flourish--including to protect themselves from climate, which is always catastrophically dangerous to those who lack energy.
https://twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1409523425392041984
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