Class speech!

Pushing the envelope, one classmate at a time

Last night, in my trial practice class, we were tasked with delivering a five-minute persuasive speech. While some students picked favorite foods or hobbies, I knew I had to talk about the topic I’m most passionate about—energy, climate, and the gap between perception and reality that’s been growing for years.

Too many people have been force-fed a steady diet of climate unrealism. I’ve spent an entire career in the energy sector, and I’ve seen firsthand the consequences of policy driven more by fear and fiction than by physics and facts. So I leaned into the moment, channeled my inner Chris Wright, sharpened the message, and tried to make the most of those five minutes.

This was the result. I hope it sparks thought—and maybe helps just one more person question the narrative they’ve all been handed.

Title: Climate Change, Context, and Carbon: Let’s Tell the Whole Story

Hi everyone. I’ve got five minutes, so let’s get real.

We’re told the climate is in crisis. That CO₂ is killing us. That if we don’t hit “net zero” by 2050, the world ends.

But here’s the thing: the climate has always changed. And CO₂ has always fluctuated—long before humans, factories, or SUVs.

Let me take you back.

100 million years ago, CO₂ was around 2800 parts per million. That’s nearly seven times today’s levels. And guess what? The planet didn’t burn. It thrived. Temperatures were about 10°F warmer, and the Western U.S.? It was under a shallow inland sea. Sea levels rise. Sea levels fall. Over geologic time, that’s normal.

Today, we’re at about 425 ppm. Yes, it’s up from the 335 ppm since I was born born context matters: We’re unlocking carbon from hydrocarbons that were formed by the trees and organisms that once grew in that CO₂-rich, life-abundant world. That’s not pollution.

So let’s talk WHY CO2 is important. CH4 + O2 = H2O + CO2. That’s the combustion equation. Because this isn’t just about temperature charts. This is about people.

Two billion people on Earth today use less electricity annually than your refrigerator. That’s not a climate stat. That’s a moral one.

Human thriving requires energy—reliable, abundant, affordable energy. Without it, we don’t lift people out of poverty. We don’t run hospitals. We don’t power AI, data centers, electric vehicles, or modern cities.

Consider Spain. On April 28, 2025, they proudly declared they hit 100% renewable energy—for seven hours during the day. Seven days later? A two-day blackout. The cause? A 0.2 Hz frequency oscillation on top of the 50 Hz base load—triggered by instability from variable renewable inputs. No power = no economy. No education. No survival.

And let’s not forget: solar and wind have load capacities of just 25 to 30%—at best. That’s assuming perfect sun and stable wind, which don’t exist. So when you overlay chaotic, sinusoidal waves from renewables—without large-scale batteries—you’re asking for failure.

And batteries? The entire global battery storage capacity today—all of it—could power the city of New York for 1.6 days. That’s not a transition. That’s a technological warning sign.

Yet here in Colorado, we’ve mandated a 90% reduction in carbon emissions by 2040. That’s not ambition—that’s magical thinking. Rolling blackouts are coming. Grid instability is coming. Increases in costs and decreases in affordability is coming. And it will hit the poorest the hardest.

And all of this—this grand “net zero” project—costs four to nine trillion dollars per year.

Let’s be honest: this isn’t a climate solution. It’s an accounting exercise dressed up as virtue.

And here’s the punchline: China has a net zero plan too.

They call it “Net Zero F***s Given.”

Because while we cripple our economy, they’re building 3 coal plants a week—and selling us the solar panels to do it.

So no—I’m not a climate denier.

But I am a context demander.

The world needs energy. The world needs perspective. And the world needs to stop pretending we can save the planet by making people poorer.

Thank you.