Moral Case for Fossil Fuels
by Alex J. Epstein · first published 2015
17mentions
10recommended by
13HN commenters
2015–2022first – last mentioned
77% recommend23% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Argues for fossil fuels through human flourishing and cost, offering a big-picture framework for weighing energy sources. It suits readers who mostly encounter doom-and-gloom climate messaging.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…time. The tension isn't caused by the "status quo" fighting back. It is caused by hysterics calling for action on things they know nothing about. How many extinction rebellion fanatics have read The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels? It's not like they would if they were recommended it - the mere name will put them off because they have a preconceived notion and will ardently resist any information which is likely to cause cognitive…
on “Can too many brainy people be a dangerous thing?” ↗…cheap energy. http://www.moralcaseforfossilfuels.com/ "With more politicians in climate science than scientists, the refining fire of debate has devolved into the burning of heretics. Alex Epstein’s The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels may make your blood boil, but his cool reason and cold, hard facts will lead us beyond hysterics to a much better future." - Peter Thiel
…book or two and widen your view of the subject. How about "The Absent Superpower: The Shale Revolution and a World Without America" by Peter Zeihan? Or just to see another side of it, how about "The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels" by Alex Epstein? Anything but repeating this PR nonsense over and over again.
on “Ask HN: What can a technologist do about climate change?” ↗If you'd like to get a good overview of the case for fossil fuels, check out The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels by Alex Epstein. [1] Here is a video trailer for the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu6637cjk8A Edit: This interview with Dave Rubin may also be helpful in understanding the other point of view:…
on “2016 was third consecutive year of record global warmth” ↗…wasn't blowing, which is the problem with these renewables, they don't work when the wind doesn't blow. If you are really open to a different framework for analyzing energy policies, I recommend The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels by Alex Epstein.
on “The Dark Side of Solar Power” ↗…this is not a big "advance" for the petroleum business. I say this as a supporter of our use of fossil fuels which are critical to maintaining the standard of life we've come to enjoy. I recommend The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels for background on that viewpoint. But there is much more the industry can do to stop throwing away combustible fuel. The war in Ukraine with energy at its centerpoint is the kind of issue that it will…
on “Exxon is mining Bitcoin in North Dakota as part of its plan to slash emissions” ↗What if our best method of dealing with the consequences of climate change is further development? What if a clean environment is the product of industrialization? The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels shows how to think about energy and how to choose the best energy source: https://www.amazon.com/Moral-Case-Fossil-Fuels/dp/1591847443 An interview with the author: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip3XoAKRKHs
on “US-Canada heatwave 'virtually impossible' without warming” ↗Not really what you asked for but I think they are more important to gain perspective: The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels by Alex Epstein The Absent Superpower: The Shale Revolution and a World Without America by Peter Zeihan
on “Ask HN: Book recommendations for renewable energy and climate change?” ↗For anyone interested in this topic I would recommend reading "The moral case for fossil fuels". It gives a big picture look of this problem in the context of human flourishing. As someone who had only ever been exposed to the gloom and doom predictions like this article it was a refreashingly…
on “Obama on Climate Change: The Trends Are ‘Terrifying’” ↗I would suggest that anyone here who trashes the fossil fuel industry read "The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels" before they continue such trashing. They don't necessarily have to agree with it, but they should at least read it. I've read it, and do you know why? Because I saw an article somewhere which was just…
on “Earth Day and the Hockey Stick: A Singular Message” ↗You might want to read "The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels" for a slightly less dire perspective.
on “First contact made with melted nuclear fuel at Fukushima plant” ↗…makes no argument that would support the statement that "they were never mean to sustain society." That's a huge leap. A good book on this subject (despite several errors and gaps in honesty) is The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels. While I agree that fossil fuels will and probably should rule the roost for quite a while, it's a bit extreme to suggest that we will never develop a cheaper, non-polluting form of energy. Tesla (Nikolai)…
on “Reason Renewables Can't Power Civilization Is Because They Were Never Meant To” ↗…improved every area of our life from the food supply to medicine and housing) in order to try and stave-off the inevitable changes, whether they're caused by humans or not. A good book on this subject is The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels.
…hypothetical cheaper energy harvesting devices in the future, but whether or not fossil fuels should be used now, while they are cheap, abundant and available to everyone. I have recommended a book above: The moral case for fossil fuels. It may not be obvious what I'm talking about if you live in a well developed nation with adequate sunlight and you can easily accumulate some capital and install PV panels on your rooftop (and you're…
on “Can too many brainy people be a dangerous thing?” ↗Alex Epstien, who is widely despised, has written, in The Moral Case For Fossil Fuels that to withhold cheap abundant energy, and the technology it enables, from the world's emerging populations is immoral and fundamentally anti-human. Supported by people who think this Earth would be…
on “Costa Rica has gone 76 days using 100% renewable electricity” ↗