#32 - Climate Change I: Initial Thought-Crimes

After the immensely positive response to our previous episode on the Weinstein brothers - thanks @robertwiblin! - we thought we would keep giving the people what they want, and what they want is a long discussion on climate change. Specifically, the subject for today is: "The State of the Climate Debate". We touch on:
The near perfect partisan split on climate change
Will there be a climate apocalypse?
The promise of nuclear energy as a solution
The limitations of renewables
Energy portfolios
The rebound effect
Degrowth economics
Activist tactics and fear mongering
Whether The Environment has become A Deity in environmentalist circles
We expect very little pushback on this episode.
References
Apocalypse Never (https://smile.amazon.com/Apocalypse-Never-Environmental-Alarmism-Hurts/dp/0063001691?sa-no-redirect=1) by Michael Shellenberger.
Greta Thunberg encouraging you to panic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjsLm5PCdVQ&ab_channel=GuardianNews)
Thunberg's double crossing of the Atlantic in sailboat (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyage_of_Greta_Thunberg)
The Rebound Effect (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277338331_The_rebound_effects_of_switching_to_vegetarianism_A_microeconomic_analysis_of_Swedish_consumption_behavior)
Quotes
But real climate solutions are ones that steer these interventions to systematically disperse and devolve power and control to the community level, whether through community-controlled renewable energy, local organic agriculture or transit systems genuinely accountable to their users.
-- Naomi Klein in the Nation (https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/capitalism-vs-climate/)
Even if nuclear power were clean, safe, economic, assured of ample fuel, and socially benign, it would still be unattractive because of the political implications of the kind of energy economy it would lock us into.
-- Amory Lovins, quoted from Forbes piece (https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelshellenberger/2019/02/14/the-real-reason-they-hate-nuclear-is-because-it-means-we-dont-need-renewables/?sh=17c63299128f) by Michael Shellenberger
Send us panic-induced email at [email protected].

After the immensely positive response to our previous episode on the Weinstein brothers - thanks @robertwiblin! - we thought we would keep giving the people what they want, and what they want is a long discussion on climate change. Specifically, the subject for today is: "The State of the Climate Debate". We touch on:

The near perfect partisan split on climate change
Will there be a climate apocalypse?
The promise of nuclear energy as a solution
The limitations of renewables
Energy portfolios
The rebound effect
Degrowth economics

Activist tactics and fear mongering
Whether The Environment has become A Deity in environmentalist circles

We expect very little pushback on this episode.

References

Apocalypse Never by Michael Shellenberger.
Greta Thunberg encouraging you to panic
Thunberg's double crossing of the Atlantic in sailboat
The Rebound Effect

Quotes

But real climate solutions are ones that steer these interventions to systematically disperse and devolve power and control to the community level, whether through community-controlled renewable energy, local organic agriculture or transit systems genuinely accountable to their users.

-- Naomi Klein in the Nation

Even if nuclear power were clean, safe, economic, assured of ample fuel, and socially benign, it would still be unattractive because of the political implications of the kind of energy economy it would lock us into.

-- Amory Lovins, quoted from Forbes piece by Michael Shellenberger

Send us panic-induced email at [email protected].

Support Increments