Episodes
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...
Published 06/19/21
Power Hour will now be every two weeks. We've got some great guests coming up!
Published 06/10/21
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. On the episode he answers questions including: - How has...
Published 06/03/21
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...
Published 05/27/21
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.
Published 05/21/21
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.
Published 05/14/21
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...
Published 05/05/21
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...
Published 04/29/21
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...
Published 04/22/21
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...
Published 04/15/21
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...
Published 04/07/21
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...
Published 04/01/21
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...
Published 03/25/21
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...
Published 03/18/21
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...
Published 03/12/21
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...
Published 03/05/21
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...
Published 02/25/21
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...
Published 02/18/21
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.
Published 02/18/21
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.”
Published 02/11/21
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...
Published 02/04/21
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...
Published 01/28/21
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...
Published 01/21/21
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...
Published 01/14/21
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...
Published 01/07/21