Special Earth Day Edition!
Of Course It’s About Money—and Control
What to know: The theme of this year’s Earth Day (Saturday) is “Invest in the Planet.”
The TPPF take: This year’s theme is a nod to the ESG (environmental, social and governance) movement. And feeding the ESG beast is a terrible idea.
“For a cleaner Earth, we should invest in — not divest from — the fossil fuels that make our modern lives possible,” says TPPF’s Jason Isaac. “Nothing improves quality of life like access to affordable, reliable energy. Energy makes every aspect of our lives easier….And as quality of life improves, communities gain the benefit of increased capacity to focus on causes like environmental protection.”
For more on ESG, click here.
An Ill Wind
What to know: Offshore wind farms can drive away crucial seabirds and other marine wildlife.
The TPPF take: The Biden administration has ignored the dangers posed by massive offshore wind farms.
“The administration has put all their political capital on offshore wind and is breaking all the rules in order to do it,” says TPPF’s Robert Henneke. “The administration’s violation of the Endangered Species Act should be a complete bar to the whole project.”
For more on offshore wind, including the Vineyard Wind project, click here.
Net Zero
What to know: Is “Net Zero” (the plan to make all human activities “carbon-neutral” by a certain deadline) a rational policy? Not according to the experts.
The TPPF take: Net Zero would be a driver of disease—and poverty.
“Malawi, for example, is at Net Zero, unable to adapt to a changing climate because its residents don’t have the infrastructure or energy to do so,” says TPPF’s Syd Lucas. “Malawi does not have modern sewage or water treatment because it does not have access to affordable, reliable energy. The developed world is what it is because of fossil fuels, and the rest of the world cannot develop without them. We cannot demonize what would heal developing countries of preventable and completely curable diseases.”
For more on Net Zero, click here.