Dear Andrew Dessler (c/o any Aggie that wants to pass on the message),
I recently spent two hours in suspended disbelief while listening to your podcast with Joe Rogan. The number of misleading, false and quite honestly unbelievable things you said actually boggled my mind. After Dr. Koonin’s episode where he presented data, facts and citing, you simultaneously acknowledged that nothing Koonin said was wrong … it was just presented out of context. Weird … kind of like Joe Rogan’s use of the “n” word. Context matters a lot, and Koonin provided much of it.
You provided so much misleading information it’s hard to know where to begin. Should we start at the “Texas freeze cost $200 billion for pipes and natural gas producers to get rich.” I believe you pulled this from a CBS article. The article specifically says it includes lost income as well as long term reduction in economic output. Misleading much?
You say: “These fossil fuel companies are so powerful now politically, they can get legislatures to force laws to force people to continue to use them.” Oh. Ok. Pfizer made $33 billion in revenue in 9 months on a vaccine funded by the government, protected from liability and tried to be mandated? Google manages 93% of the world’s search and their founder was an advisor to the Hilary Clinton campaign. Chuck Schumer introduced Senate Bill 729 in 2019 to prevent funding to anyone trying to seek an alternate cause of climate change that wasn’t fossil fuels. Universities cancel conservative speakers from sharing views. Twitter canceled Alex Berenson who has been shown to be mostly right in his reporting. When you said this, I was in absolute shock. “A lot of our politicians are holy owned subsidiaries of ExxonMobil…”. Want to weigh in on who funded Engine No. 1 $30 mm proxy war with them for 3 board slots?
Speaking of, did you know that the Aggies have a very larg endowment and $6 billion of that is from university lands and oil and gas. Which brings me to your comment Texas passed a bill preventing the “divest fossil fuels” funds from doing business in the state. Out of the $2 trillion of GDP, fully 20% is from oil and gas. Unicorn dust doesn’t power economies and Texas wants to have an economy.
Social cost of carbon assumes a discount rate. The free market may innovate but states have renewable mandates. THAT’s the reason for constantly investing in wind and solar. Preferential purchase contracts and a regulated rate of return AND they charge consumers for the cost of decommissioning coal plants that were just built. That’s the opposite of the free market.
Finally, your position is that “maybe Dr. Koonin is right, but not as a scientist, as a parent, I don’t want to take that chance.” Neat. So you want to spend $4 trillion A YEAR of not your money is risk hedging. We spent $10 trillion on coronavirus… how’s that looking. 7.5% inflation, an unpayable debt and a divisive country.
There are 350 coal plants being built a year in the world and China emits 10% more CO2 than Europe and the U.S. combined. Are they using wind? Solar?
I could go on and on and on and on…. I have pages of notes. But instead, I will close with this. Like coronavirus policy, there were things that we should have done. Protect the vulnerable, have free debate and discussion to get the best ideas on the table and understand that at the core, everything is about making money. The true answer in March 2020 may have been for everyone to lose 20 lbs and live a healthier lifestyle, just as the answer to climate change is for consumers to consume less, live in smaller houses, wear a sweater and socks at home and “degrow your consumerism…” But like weight loss, it’s hard and doesn’t make companies any money so it’s not on the table. Spending my money is.
I wish you the best. Thank you for proving to me that there is no math or science that actually justifies climate policy. Just fear, hyperbole and emotion. And now you’ve made 11 million other people see that too.
Love and shocked hugs,
DRW
Is there anyway we can get you on the joe rogan podcast. It would be an amazing show.
I was waiting for Rogan to call BS on the “Texas gets over half of their energy from wind and solar”…ummm, huh?