Power Hour with Alex Epstein

I brought back my podcast Power Hour for a discussion with Congressmen Chip Roy Josh Brecheen about how they defeated a hoard of subsidy-seeking lobbyists to cut off new solar and wind subsidies in the "Big Beautiful Bill."Why also discussed why it's crucial for the Senate to preserve and build on this victory, and strategies for making this happen.http://alexepstein.com

From Alex Epstein: "Recently I was having dinner with Peter Thiel (the billionaire investor/entrepreneur who founded PayPal and Palantir) and he raised some interesting challenges to my book Fossil Future (which he has enthusiastically endorsed). I suggested, 'Let's record a discussion where you give me all your challenges to Fossil Future and I try to answer them.' Peter loved the idea, so we made it happen—recording a 90-minute discussion at his office in West Hollywood."

On the latest episode of Power Hour, Alex Epstein explains in detail how to create Energy Freedom Talking Points, and announces new opportunities to work for or contribute to the Energy Talking Points project. Also: How Alex and Energy Talking Points are changing AI Chat.

On the latest episode of Power Hour, Alex Epstein interviews Senator Tom Cotton about his important new book, Only the Strong. https://www.amazon.com/Only-Strong-Reversing-Sabotage-American/dp/1538726793 They discuss: Why America should have a foreign policy of self-interest What a principled and thoughtful policy of self-interest looks like How American foreign policy has devolved into various forms of international servitude The importance of energy security Senator Cotton's experiences in battle and in Congress At the end of the show Alex shares some of his differences with Senator Cotton's book and offers some additional reading recommendations.

On this special episode of Power Hour Alex Epstein interviews Jusper Machogu, a Kenyan farmer who, thanks to the influence of Alex and others, has started to become a champion of fossil fuels in Africa. Jusper discusses his aspirations in agriculture and in energy, and why he is asking for help to invest in his education. You can support Jusper at his GoFundMe (Alex contributed $1000): https://www.gofundme.com/f/jusper-machogu-further-education-support

On this special episode of Power Hour to celebrate Fossil Future's launch week, I'm joined by wrestling legend and former MMA superstar Ben Askren. When Ben expressed interest in Fossil future on Twitter, I sent him an advance copy—which he read in full, and loved. I asked Ben to come on the show to describe how the book impacted his thinking. I also asked Ben, known as one of the great innovators in modern wrestling, about the keys to his innovativeness—keys that apply to virtually any field. This episode was both a thrill for me and a little surreal since as a longtime Jiu-Jitsu practitioner I've admired Askren from afar for many years. The fact that he responded to Fossil Future so positively is further confirmation to me that the framework and argument of this book are going to impact a lot of people's thinking for the better.

On this special episode of Power Hour to celebrate Fossil Future's launch week, I'm joined by California candidate for governor Michael Shellenberger--whom I am enthusiastically supporting, intellectually and financially. We ended up spending most of the time talking about the energy landscape, including where Fossil Future fits in. But I made sure that we talked about Mike's campaign and why it is worth supporting. I've contributed $5000, an unprecedented amount for me.

On the latest episode of Power Hour, Alex Epstein is joined by Vivek Ramaswamy, author of Woke, Inc. and Co-Founder and Executive Chairman at Strive Asset Management to talk about the impact of the ESG movement on investments, its root causes, and how to fight it. Ramaswamy also shares his views on Alex's new book Fossil Future.

Alex Epstein is joined by futurist, nuclear engineering PhD, and energy expert Robert Zubrin to talk about how to liberate nuclear energy's limitless potential. Drawing from Zubrin's new manuscript “The Case for Nukes,” they cover: 1. Nuclear's track record of providing low-cost, reliable, clean, safe electricity. 2. How irrational government policies have made nuclear vastly more expensive than it needs to be. 3. The key policies needed to liberate nuclear.

Alex Epstein interviews Joe Craft, CEO of Alliance Resource Partners, America's most successful coal company, on the causes of and solutions to America's and the world's energy crisis. They cover: - Why and how most of today's global energy crisis could have been prevented. - How government financial regulators have pressured financial institutions to stop lending to fossil fuels. - Why coal prices, long the most stable of all energy prices, have skyrocketed. - The connection between energy and freedom.

On the latest Power Hour, Alex Epstein is joined by Doomberg, a rising pseudonymous star in the energy humanist movement. They discuss: Doomberg's background and mission, the price and scalability challenges of solar, and the unfolding European energy crisis. You can subscribe to Doomberg's Substack at Doomberg.substack.com and Alex's Substack at alexepstein.substack.com

On this week's Power Hour, Alex Epstein has a wide-ranging conversation with oil expert Michael Lynch about Lynch's latest paper on how political and social forces threaten to drive oil production away from the US and toward the Middle East.

As COP 26 wrapped up, Bjorn Lomborg joined Alex Epstein to discuss the many examples of bad thinking that have shaped the conference, including: - The false portrayal of today's world as bad and getting worse. - The failure to consider the costs of reducing CO2 emissions. - The failure to discuss the benefits human beings get from fossil fuels. - The failure to consider any positive of CO2 emissions. - The failure to appreciate the power of adapting to climate changes. Additionally, Bjorn shares his thoughts on how to win more people over to thinking rationally about energy and climate. Link to Bjorn's 2020 article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162520304157 Link to Bjorn's book, False Alarm, where you can download the first 25 pages for free: https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/bjorn-lomborg/false-alarm/9781541647473/

On this week's Power Hour, Alex Epstein is joined by Michael Shellenberger, author of the bestselling Apocalypse Never and San Fransicko, to discuss Shellenberger's rising influence and, more broadly, the growing influence of "energy humanists." Some of the topics covered in this free-flowing discussion are: - What caused Shellenberger to be more open in challenging climate catastrophism? - The strong pushback Shellenberger got from donors for challenging the liberal orthodoxy around renewables and climate catastrophe. - How to use Twitter effectively. - How to avoid Twitter addiction. - The commonalities among the "woke" movement and the modern environmental movement. - The ESG movement's "success" in driving up oil and gasoline prices. - The importance of having a positive, alternative vision and policy when defending against attacks on civilization. - The role of government in a pro-nuclear movement.

When leading climate economist Richard Tol publicly criticized a Twitter thread of Alex Epstein's blaming anti-fossil fuel policies for the current energy crisis, Epstein invited Tal on Power Hour to discuss the issue as well as Tol's work in climate economics. The result is an illuminating and wide-ranging discussion of many topics, including: - What climate economics is - Criticisms of climate economics by Noah Smith and others for not portraying man-made climate change as sufficiently catastrophic - The philosophical assumptions underlying climate catastrophism - How both Tol's and Epstein's work is based on a pro-human standard of evaluation - Why Richard Tol withdrew from a major role in the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - How politics shapes every facet of the IPCC - The role of government restrictions on fossil fuel production and transportation in the energy crisis - The role of standard boom/bust cycles in the energy crisis - The role of unexpected demand in the energy crisis

From Alex Epstein, host of Power Hour: This week's Power Hour is a best-of episode, featuring a now prophetic interview with energy economist Michael Lynch. In February of this year, there were many prominent claims that post-pandemic demand for oil would quickly decline and fade. I thought these claims were based on farcical reasoning, and to counter them I invited one of my favorite energy economists, Michael Lynch, to challenge the idea of "peak oil demand." Early in the podcast he said: "In the past couple of years, people have started talking about peak oil demand. And the pandemic has increased the idea that it's imminent or even passed. You've had a few companies like BP and Shell that have scenarios that show a near-term peak in oil demand. And it's kind of the flavor of the day. “And the problem is, most of the talk is very superficial." I think you'll find it valuable to hear Lynch's and my arguments against popular predictions about energy, as we have since been vindicated.

On this week's Power Hour Alex Epstein interviews Toby Rice, the CEO of EQT, America's largest natural gas producer, about the causes of and solutions to the world's natural gas crisis. The takeaway: The US could alleviate most of this crisis--if not for anti-gas-infrastructure policies. "We really want to be a solution here," says Rice. "Unfortunately, we're just out of infrastructure. And so we have the biggest gas resource in the world here in Appalachia, and EQT could do so much more, but without the infrastructure, there's not much we can do..." Rice says what is needed to unleash natural gas's potential is liberating infrastructure development: "we're not asking for the checkbook to help us become more successful." "All we're saying that we need to unleash US shale is pipeline infrastructure and LNG facilities."

On April 27th, physicist Steve Koonin, who worked in the Obama Administration's Department of Energy, published a challenge to climate catastrophism called “Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, what It Doesn't, and Why It Matters.” While the climate catastrophe movement usually ignores criticisms, Koonin's scientific standing, plus the fact that the book became a major bestseller, made this harder to do. Unfortunately, climate catastrophists have still tried their best to ignore Koonin's arguments, and when they have engaged him it is through scientific smearing—such as an attack in Scientific American that consisted largely of ad hominems and attacking summaries of his book by a Washington Post columnist. On this week's episode of Power Hour, Steve Koonin joins Alex Epstein to discuss not only the smears but much of what has been happening in the climate conversation over the last 5 months, including: - The recent IPCC report—including the curious absence of key graphs, the use of "attribution studies," and the methodology used to make climate models "hotter" even though they have typically over predicted warming in the past. - The media's exaggerated portrayal of the recent IPCC report. - The positive reaction to Koonin's book. - What scientists have told Koonin behind the scenes. - Koonin's upcoming debates.

This week's “Best-of Power Hour” features Alex Epstein's interview with physicist Steve Koonin, author of the blockbuster book Unsettled, with a new introduction in anticipation of their forthcoming interview on the next episode of Power Hour.

On this episode of Power Hour, Alex Epstein shares what he's learned over the 18 months working with elected officials on how to create concise, retainable messaging, including: - How to link concise, retainable messages together. - What are the most important topics to cover? - The 8 types of messaging he uses most. - How to join Epstein's Energy Champions group.

On this week's Power Hour, Alex Epstein interviews Mike Dunleavy, the outspoken governor of Alaska, about his state's fight to develop fossil fuels and other valuable resources. They cover a wide range of topics, including: - Alaska's virtually limitless potential for resource development - How Alaska gets (mis)treated as a place where no development should occur - How natives of Alaska benefit tremendously from resource development and are harmed by opposition to development - How the campaign against drilling in "the Arctic" harms Alaska and plays into the hands of Russia - How the rest of the country can help Alaska fight back

On this Best-of Power Hour, Alex Epstein takes us back to the first ever episode of Power Hour, featuring energy expert Robert Bryce. Alex will be appearing on Robert's Power Hungry podcast the week of August 2nd. Listen to this episode, then Robert's podcast, to see how the two have evolved over the last decade.

On this week's Power Hour Alex Epstein interviews economist Dr. Saifedean Ammous, about how systematic government control--"fiat"--wreaks havoc in the realms, not just of currency, but of science, education, and energy. They cover: - How government control in the realm of ideas is treated as benign but is in fact incredibly dangerous. - The myth that leading universities such as Harvard, Yale, and Stanford are "private." - What freedom of scientific inquiry looks like, and how it gave birth to the modern world. - Why much of today's "modeling" would not exist in a free market. - How the moral case for fossil fuels is taking hold in the Bitcoin community.

Recorded in advance of Alex Epstein's headline-making Congressional testimony about Puerto Rico, Alex Epstein interviews Yaron Brook, Chairman of the Ayn Rand Institute and a Puerto Rico resident, about how to bring about a renaissance in Puerto Rico. Brook explains: - Why he moved to Puerto Rico - The parallels between Puerto Rico and Hong Kong - How Puerto Rican policy punishes native Puerto Ricans - Puerto Rico's horrific electricity grid - Cultural challenges in Puerto Rico Toward the end of the episode, Brook discusses his new projects and Alex shares his formula for reframing the conversation in new fields.

From Alex Epstein, host of Power Hour: On this week's Power Hour I have a wide-ranging discussion with Chris Wright, the proud and outspoken CEO of Liberty Oilfield Services. I first met Chris when we tag-teamed in a debate against climate catastrophists back in late 2015. He, like me, came to love fossil fuels despite not coming from that industry background at all (his background was working on fusion at MIT). In the past month Chris has done two very cool things. One is that he has responded to the ESG movement with a report entitled “Bettering Human Lives” that highlights the amazing benefits of the oil and gas industry, and encourages rational thinking about climate. Chris has also been making a lot of noise with a new “Thank You, North Face” billboard and video campaign. In our discussion Chris and I cover: - Why he chose to be an entrepreneur - The response to his revolutionary ESG report - The response to his “Thank You, North Face” campaign - His role working with Mitchell Energy to bring about the shale revolution - What Chris's activist successes can teach other energy CEOs - Chris's plans for future activism - Our common motivations for focusing our careers on energy - How we think about criticism

From Alex Epstein: An understandable reaction to my view that the world should be using more fossil fuels in the coming decades, not less, is "This is the exact opposite of what 'the experts' say. Almost every institution I trust says the expert consensus is that we need to rapidly eliminate fossil fuel use. How can you be right and they be wrong?" On this week's Power Hour (coming out this Friday) drawing on some brand-new material from my forthcoming book Fossil Future, I tackle this question head-on, explaining three ways in which experts are often wrong. When we hear claims that "the experts" are wrong, we usually associate it with the claim that most experts in a field are factually mistaken. While this certainly does happen, there are two far more common ways in which "the experts" can be wrong--both of which are at work on the issue of energy. The factual conclusions of experts can be misrepresented by those who claim to speak for all experts. And the factual conclusions of experts can be misevaluated by those who claim to speak for all experts. In this episode I will show definitively that our knowledge system is wildly irrational in its method of moral evaluation when it comes to not only fossil fuels but also other cost-effective forms of energy.

Power Hour will now be every two weeks. We've got some great guests coming up!

Alex Epstein interviews Dr. Patrick Michaels, climate scientist and policy expert, on how today’s climate “scientocracy”—the heavily government-funded and government-influenced field of climate science—works. While those outside the field of climate science tend to think of it as consisting of independent researchers, free to pursue the truth wherever it leads them, Michaels argues that our climate scientocracy makes this impossible. During the interview, Michaels answers questions including: - How has government transformed climate research during Michaels’s career? - How does government impact what research gets done? - How does academic research get communicated with the general public? - How do “consensus” statements come to be? For more on how government distorts science, see Dr. Michaels’s book Scientocracy.

On this week's Power Hour, Alex Epstein interviews Terry Etam, an energy industry veteran who is one of the savviest energy analysts today. They debunk the claim that the world is going through a rapid "energy transition" away from fossil fuels by discussing many energy realities, including: - China's fossil fueled dominance of "green energy" - China's, Russia's, and India's plan to use more fossil fuel going forward - How California is "transitioning" to more and more blackouts - How Ontario's "transition" led to skyrocketing electricity prices - How Canada's "transition" is a senseless sacrifice of Canadian prosperity and security - How the same anti-human-impact forces that oppose fossil fuels also oppose the mining necessary for solar, wind, and batteries

On May 19, 2021, Alex Epstein testified in front of the House Natural Resources committee and answered numerous questions. This video features his testimony and Q&A, plus the backstory of the hearing and Alex’s answers to follow-up questions by Representative Lauren Boebert.

From Alex Epstein: “10 years ago, I recorded what is still my favorite Earth Day Power Hour with philosopher Onkar Ghate, a long-time mentor of mine. Before we recorded the episode, Onkar suggested to me that we take a positive approach, explaining how much better human beings have made the Earth. That suggestion, and much of what we discussed in that episode, has affected my thinking ever since. "This best-of-episode features a new intro by Alex, including an update on Fossil Future.

On this week's Power Hour, Alex Epstein interviews economist Ross McKittrick, famous for debunking Michael Mann's once-ubiquitous "hockey stick," about how climate science gets distorted--so that what the public hears about climate science is a wild exaggeration of what most climate scientists actually believe. McKittrick explains: - How the "hockey stick" became ubiquitous despite widespread concerns about its (in)validity. - The real track record of climate models. - Why climate economists are coming under attack for rejecting climate catastrophism. - Why climate catastrophists face a reckoning over the next 10 years. - What we can expect from the UN IPCC's upcoming AR 6. - Why we almost never discuss the benefits of fossil fuels, including their role in driving progress.

On this week's Power Hour, Alex Epstein interviews Brent Bennett, a materials scientist by training and Policy Director of Life:Powered. In the first half of the interview, Brent shares how his background in physics and materials science has informed his views on the future of energy. In the second half, he summarizes the politics of Texas electricity--before, during, and after the recent mass-blackouts. Some of the specific topics covered include: - Alex's analogy between drug addicts and "renewable" power sources. - How Moore's Law is not a physical law, and how treating it that way distorts thinking about batteries. - The limitations of batteries given existing physics knowledge. - The proper relationship between physics and economics, and how today's politicians invert it. - How Texas did not have enough electricity generation to avoid rolling blackouts even if zero natural gas and coal plants had gone down. - Why today's Texas electricity "market" is totally unfair to reliable producers of electricity. - What reforms are needed to make Texas electricity "markets" fair and reliable. - How large financial institutions and tech companies are advocating policies that double down on unreliable electricity when Texas desperately needs reliable electricity. - The powerful lobbyists that shape Texas electricity policy.

On this week's Power Hour, Alex Epstein interviews Steve Koonin, a highly accomplished physicist and author of the new bestselling book "Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn't and Why It Matters" In 2014, Koonin, who had worked in the Obama administration, began to question climate catastrophism when he led a panel of physicists assessing the current state of climate science. In his new book he summarizes what he regards as the actual state of climate science--which does not support claims of climate catastrophe at all. In this interview, Koonin discusses: - His conclusion that "Humans exert a growing, but physically small, warming influence on the climate." - Why "The net economic impact of human-induced climate change will be minimal through at least the end of this century." - Why "Government and UN press releases and summaries do not accurately reflect" scientific research reports. - How the US National Climate Assessment manipulated data to create an extreme heat pattern in the US that doesn't exist. - Why "the working scientists are often embarrassed by the way the IPCC winds up describing the state of the science." - Why "many of the senior climate scientists think that by the time now we've gotten to the sixth [IPCC] assessment report, it's no longer the A team that is preparing the reports." - How Koonin's career has enabled him to do a deep dive both into climate science and into energy economics. - The private response Koonin has gotten from other scientists. - What Koonin thinks of Bill Gates's book ("I think Bill wrote a pretty good energy book...but I think Bill's discussion of the climate is wrong and I would relish the chance to point out to him at some point.") - Why Koonin is eager to debate any climate scientists who disagree with him.

On this week’s Power Hour, Alex Epstein interviews John or of Climate Discussion Nexus, about how the green energy movement is weakening free countries like the United States and increasing Communist China’s odds of achieving its goal of being the world superpower by 2049. They discuss: - John’s excellent video The Red-Green Menace - China’s openly stated goal of world superpower status - China’s continuing embrace of fossil fuels - How US “green energy” is inferior energy produced largely by Communist China using fossil fuels - How the corporate world plays into China’s hands - How US companies should stand up to climate catastrophism - The virtues of speaking the unpopular truth - How John debunked the 97% consensus myth

On this week's Power Hour, Alex Epstein interviews economist Steven Landsburg, professor of economics at The University of Rochester, about how economics can help us understand many realms--including today's "religion of environmentalism." They discuss: - How Landsburg's popular book The Armchair Economist came about. - Why Landsburg regards "people respond to incentives" as the foundation of economics. - How understanding incentives makes sense of seemingly counterintuitive outcomes, such as recycling programs leading to fewer trees. - How understanding economics could have vastly improved vaccine distribution in the US. - The science of ecology vs. the religion of ecology. - How human beings ability to adapt to climate changes is largely ignored in today's discussions--and why economists don't speak up about it. - How "environmentalists" treat their personal preferences as morally superior to others' preferences. - Landsburg's economics-based approach to species extinction.

On this week's Power Hour, Alex Epstein discusses the policy platform known as the Green New Deal with Marc Morano, author of the new book "Green Fraud: Why The Green New Deal is Worse Than You Think." They focus on the roots of the Green New Deal--Marc, its historical and political roots, Alex, it's philosophical roots--which both believe are key to successfully opposing it and advocating a positive alternative. Some of the topics they cover are: - How Marc became skeptical of the modern environmental movement. - What UN climate conferences are really like--lavish parties, exotic locations, impressive carbon footprints. - How Marc was once kicked out of a climate conference and literally thrown in the middle of the desert. - Why Marc features EnergyTalkingPoints.com so prominently in his new book. - What we can learn from the great economics teacher Walter Williams. - Alex's views on the three levels of reframing the energy and climate conversation. - Where the Green New Deal came from. - How the Green New Deal is part of the current administration's plans. - The wide-ranging, totalitarian scope of the Green New Deal. - How Covid lockdowns are encouraging advocates of a totalitarian Green New Deal.

On this week’s Power Hour Alex Epstein joins philosopher Gregory Salmieri and statistician Carlos Carvalho to discuss what caused Texas electricity to be so unreliable when it was desperately needed during a recent winter storm. In this wide-ranging discussion Alex emphasizes the point that by giving undeserved money and preferences to unreliable wind and solar electricity, Texas defunded the reliable and resilient electricity it needed. Some specific topics include: - How the grid needs to match supply and demand. - What we know about what actually happened before the mass blackouts. - How Texas policy gives preference to wind and solar. - Why a “Red State” like Texas is so pro-wind. - How Texas’s “Energy Only” market works. - How Texas’s fundamental problems exist nationwide.

On this week's Power Hour Alex Epstein interviews ecologist Patrick Moore, cofounder of Greenpeace and author of "Fake Invisible Catastrophes and Threats of Doom." In his book Moore thoroughly debunks 11 alleged current or imminent catastrophes, from mass species extinction to ocean "acidification" to the near death of the Great Barrier Reef. In this interview Alex asks Moore about the false assumptions that drive our propensity to believe in "fake invisible catastrophes," including the assumption that human impact is inevitably destructive because it disrupts an alleged perfect, delicate balance of nature. More debunks this "delicate balance" idea thoroughly with numerous examples, above all with CO2 levels--which, he argues, were on a natural and deadly downward trajectory toward mass plant death until human beings restored some of it to the atmosphere.

On this week's Power Hour, Alex Epstein interviews Robert Hargraves on the topic of how to decriminalize nuclear energy so it can provide low-cost, reliable, ultra-clean energy for billions of people. Hargraves is cofounder of ThorCon and author of "Thorium: Energy Cheaper Than Coal." They cover topics including: - Why since the creation of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) over 45 years ago not one nuclear power plant has been designed and built to completion. - Why the Linear no Threshold (LNT) approach guiding the NRC should be abolished. - What ALARA is, and how it increases nuclear costs. - Why South Korea builds nuclear plants at 1/3 US costs. - Should the NRC exist at all?

The Biden Administration has just announced $51/ton "Social Cost of Carbon." On this week's Power Hour, Alex Epstein interviews David Kreutzer, Senior Economist at the Institute for Energy Research, about the many methodological and moral problems with this metric, including: - How the SCC overestimates negative climate impacts - How the SCC underestimates positive climate impacts - How the SCC underestimates adaptation - How the SCC ignores the unique cost-effectiveness of fossil fuels - How the SCC is radically changed by arbitrary decisions about its "discount rate"

Alex Epstein interviews Maxwell Goldberg, an entrepreneur and industrial analyst, about our little-known dependence on China for dozens of materials that modern life requires. They cover topics including: - How Maxwell got interested in this issue at such a young age. - Just how dependent the US is on China. - China’s proven track record of exploiting its control of the “rare earths” supply chain - China’s goal - The sincerity of China’s “net-zero” by 2060 pledge - What policy changes are necessary Maxwell (Max) Goldberg is an industrialist and investor developing materials, manufacturing, and industrial companies, products, and services. In 2021 Max is focused on investing in and acquiring United States based manufacturing companies and helping United States industrial businesses dissect “where stuff comes from”, particularly the critical minerals and value-added-commodity-products that are ubiquitous throughout their value chains. Max is an engineer by training, with a B.S. in Materials Engineering and and M.S. in Manufacturing Systems Engineering, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since 2018, Max has hosted the Next Frontier Podcast, a show devoted to understanding how innovation resources enable industrialists and entrepreneurs to innovate faster than ever before. Max formerly worked as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence for Dr. Peter Diamandis, executing technical due diligence and business development across the XPRIZE Foundation, Singularity University, Bold Capital Partners, Fountain Therapeutics, and Peter’s recent book launch. His website is https://maxwellgoldberg.com/

Alex interviews Michael Lynch, the renowned debunker of “peak oil,” to discuss Lynch’s new essay on “peak oil demand”—the idea that the post-pandemic world will mean “the end of oil.” https://eprinc.org/2021/02/the-pandemic-and-the-end-of-oil-the-pandemic-peak-oil-demand-and-the-oil-industry-by-michael-lynch-and-ivan-sandrea/ In this interview they cover: false past predictions of a green future, the real economics of EV batteries, what post-pandemic culture will look like, how much oil exists in the world, and much more.

Alex brings on Steve Milloy, a fellow green energy whistleblower and creator of JunkScience.com, to discuss the massive power outages in Texas and how they were brought about by “green energy” policies. They also discuss the failure of green energy around the world this winter. Near the end of the show Alex asks Steve about his remarkable success countering “ESG” efforts and his views on the recently-publicized “fossil fuels cause 1 in 5 deaths” claim.

On this week’s Power Hour Alex Epstein shares a recent interview of him by Heidi McKillop, a Candian filmmaker who went from an opponent of the Candian oil and gas industry to a champion of it. This is his first wide-ranging interview in many months. He shares new thoughts on the world of energy including how to think about our environment, how to stand up to the anti-fossil fuel movement, and the miracle of “machine labor.”

Alex Epstein interviews Yaron Brook about the origins, rise, and unprecedented power of today’s anti-fossil fuel ESG movement in investing. They cover: - Larry Fink’s latest influential letter - The shareholder value theory of the purpose of a corporation - What’s wrong with the “stakeholder value” theory of the purpose of a corporation - How government coercion increases the power of the ESG movement - How the culture gives the ESG movement most of its power - What companies can do to fight back against the anti-fossil fuel ESG movement? Yaron Brook is a former finance professor, an investor, Executive Chairman of the Ayn Rand Institute, and host of The Yaron Brook Show.

On this week’s Power Hour Alex Epstein interviews Meredith Angwin, author of Shorting the Grid, on the precariousness of today’s electric grid. - Why the so-called competition of today’s electric grid is a myth. - The strengths and weaknesses of the old regulated monopoly system. - Why “deregulation” increased costs and regulation. - How today’s pseudo-competitive RTO (Regional Transmission Organization) works. - How today’s RTO system devalues reliability. - How New England’s inability during a cold snap to provide electricity without using massive amounts of oil (and some Russian gas) is a sign of things to come. - What policies can improve the system. - What the average person (ratepayer) can do to make a difference.

On this week’s Power Hour Alex Epstein interviews Professor Pierre Desrochers of the University of Toronto, about the history of environmental catastrophism, including but not limited to climate catastrophism. Today we are told that our use of fossil fuels is causing a global environmental catastrophe, and that the solution is for government to dictate what kind of energy we should use, namely solar and wind. Both this prediction and this policy, we are told, are the conclusions of the best experts, especially environmental experts like climate scientists, and thus should not be questioned. Pierre Desrochers explodes this idea by chronicling in depth the track record of our designated environmental experts. For more on the history of environmental catastrophism, read Population Bombed, which Professor Desrochers wrote with collaborator Joanna Szurmak.

On this episode of Power Hour Alex Epstein interviews energy/environment researcher Rupert Darwall, author of The Age of Global Warming and Green Tyranny, on why the corporate “net-zero” movement is unscientific and suicidal. Here’s some of what they cover: - Where the net-zero-by-2050 and its accompanying 1.5 degrees C target came from. Hint: It’s not a scientific origin. - How even small steps toward “net-zero” are harming citizens and industry in the UK. - The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s) religious focus on minimizing human impact on the planet instead of maximizing human flourishing on the planet. - How the IPCC evades the amazing improvement in human life over the past two centuries and fossil fuels’ fundamental role in it. - How the IPCC doesn’t seriously address the costs of net-zero policies. - Why certain elements of Wall Street find “net-zero“ so compelling.

On this week’s Power Hour, Alex Epstein interviews one of his mentors, philosopher Onkar Ghate, on how the fossil fuel industry can fight for its freedom (far) more effectively by standing up for itself as a matter of justice. Some of the questions discussed include: - Why is it so powerful to fight on grounds of justice? - What should people in the fossil fuel industry consider unjust about the way they’re treated? - What kind of justice should the fossil fuel industry demand? - How should the fossil fuel industry act in the political world? - How should the fossil fuel industry interact with the media? - How should the fossil fuel industry act in the corporate/ESG world? - What can we learn from Ayn Rand’s success in winning people over to the cause of economic freedom?

On this week’s Power Hour I interview international energy economist Anas Alhajji about the future of energy and energy security. We cover: - What factors affect energy security - How overreliance on electricity is a threat to energy security - The future of competition with the global oil industry using solar, wind, and batteries - The future of competition within the global oil industry, including US shale, OPEC, and Russia - The contradictions of the modern environmental movement