by Alex Epstein
quality of, 13, 21, 194–95
transformation of, 32, 85, 200–202
as wilderness, 170
Environmental Defense Fund, 136
ethanol, 12, 56, 68
experts:
as advisers, not authorities, 26–28, 92, 135
combined knowledge of, 28
dire forecasts of, 4, 6–8, 33
focus on negative outcomes, 15, 18, 25
in real-estate bubble, 27
what they don’t know, 27, 93, 113–14
extinction, 173–74
Fallon, Jimmy, 45
false-attribution fallacy, 163–66
famine, 80
farming, see agriculture
Fenton, John, 162
fertilization, 82–83, 116
fertilizer effect, 92, 114–17, 115, 138
fleas, 146
flood control, 130–31
floods, deaths from, 23, 121, 124, 124
food prices, 56–57, 57
food production, 81–82, 126
fossil fuel industry:
author’s recommendations to, 202–6
Green movement vs., 191, 194–200
in jeopardy, 190–91
as moral industry, 201, 205, 206
prejudice against, 135–36, 193–94, 198–200
thanks to, 140
fossil fuels, 65–88
addiction to, 3, 5–6
alternatives to, 12, 46, 58
benefits of use, 4–5, 16–25, 92, 100, 137, 143, 181, 193
bias against, 29
complex interdisciplinary questions about, 27–28
from dead plants, 65–66, 114, 151
energy from burning of, 2–3, 97,
114
and the environment, 85–86, 175–76, 198
extraction of, 18, 66, 139
future uses of, 182–86, 207–8
hidden and trapped, 66, 73
and human progress, 77–78, 77, 119–20, 137
as hydrocarbons, 67, 68
and life expectancy, 13, 14, 15, 30, 77–78, 77, 119–20
as moral choice, 13, 30, 33–35
and more resources, 16–19
as necessary for life, 88
as nonrenewable, 6, 8
pollution from, see pollution
reliability of, 12
restricting use of, 3–4, 8, 9, 10, 26,
30, 58
risks and side effects of, 15, 26, 28–29, 92, 134, 151–54, 156–59
in underdeveloped nations, 136–37
use of term, 66
worldwide use of, 10, 11–13, 11
Fox, Josh, Gasland, 162–63
fracking, 26, 70, 161
and abuse-use fallacy, 162–63
and “artificial” fallacy, 168–69
and false-attribution fallacy, 163–64
and no-threshold fallacy, 167–68
freighters, 82
Friedman, David, 110
Friedman, Milton, 42
Fukushima nuclear accident, 62
G7 countries, climate-related deaths in, 124–25, 125
Gambia, The, 38–39, 40, 50, 78, 197
gas:
fertilization, 82
natural, see natural gas
supply issues of, 69
gasoline, burning, 66, 159
gasoline engines, 71
GDP, 77, 78
genetic science, 81
Germany:
air quality in, 165
solar and wind in, 50–55, 51, 52
global cooling, 21
global greening, 114–17
global warming:
beneficial, 138
clarifying the questions of, 91–92
focus on, 21–23, 23, 89–91
and greenhouse effect, 99
97 percent fabrication, 109–11
overpredictions of, 102
Goklany, Indur, 23
Gore, Al, 132, 194
An Inconvenient Truth, 106
Graber, David M., 30–31, 197
Great Recession, 102
greenhouse effect, 7, 90, 96–104
and climate change, 21–22, 23, 91–93, 96, 99, 106–8, 107
computer models of, 100–104, 102, 103, 138
diminishing effect of, 98–99, 98
discoverers of, 108
fear of, 96
logarithmic, 108
positive feedback loop of, 99
use of term, 92
what it is, 97–98
Green movement, 191, 194–200
green revolution, 82, 83
guano, 82
Haber, Fritz, 83
Hansen, James E.:
on the evils of fossil fuel companies, 135–36
failed models of, 102, 102
on greenhouse effect, 7, 22, 96
happiness, pursuit of, 84–85, 133
hazelnuts, as energy source, 45–47, 55, 56
health trends, 174–76, 174
heavy metals, 154, 168
Holdren, John, 8, 9, 179, 194
Holocene era, 127
Hull, Gary, 189
human beings:
adaptability of, 127, 132, 171
calories needed by, 40
impact of, 94, 126
ingenuity of, 18–19, 41, 170, 181
perspective of, 85
weakness of, 40
human life:
environmental nonimpact of, 31–32, 197
flourishing, 13, 85, 87, 119–20, 175
protecting, 25
as standard of value, 30, 60, 84, 85, 88, 92, 114, 136, 173, 197, 201
hunger, 80–81
hurricanes, 24, 25, 106, 125
hydraulic fracturing, see fracking
hydrocarbons, 67, 68
hydroelectric power:
limitations of, 59–60
opponents of, 54, 60, 135
reliability of, 12, 59
as supplement, 44
hydrofluoric acid, 154
hydrogen atoms, 66, 196
Ice Age, return to, 21
ideas:
in history, 184
track records of, 5
Idso, Craig, 111, 114
Idso, Sherwood, 114
income:
and fossil fuel use, 13, 14, 15
as leading indicator of human flourishing, 119–20
India:
Chipko movement in, 32–33
fossil fuels used in, 13, 14, 15, 67, 137
infant mortality in, 15
technological progress in, 137
transportation to, 82
Indonesia, prosperity in, 100, 127
industrialization, 125, 131, 137
industrial progress, 200–202
Industrial Revolution, 78, 152
infant mortality, 15, 67, 128, 174–75, 174
infrared absorbers, 97
insects, disease-carrying, 128, 142, 145–46, 173
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 3, 26, 130, 147
intermittency, 48, 50–53, 65
internal combustion engine, 68, 132
Internationl Energy Agency, 28
irrigation, 83, 123, 126, 128
Jackson, Lisa, 164
Japan:
Fukushima accident in, 62
tsunami in, 130
jet engines, 71
Jevons, William Stanley, The Coal Question, 78–79
Kennedy, Robert F. Jr., 192
Kenya, electricity in, 53–54
kerosene, 73
<
br /> Kerry, John, 87, 100, 109, 127
Keystone XL pipeline, 9, 190
knowledge, integration of, 28, 33, 113–14, 183
Krupp, Fred, 136
land:
for farming, 56, 81–82
and rising sea levels, 130–31
scarcity of, 46, 178
lice, 146
life, and energy, 37–39
life expectancy:
and climate livability, 128
and fossil fuel use, 13, 14, 15, 30, 77–78, 77, 119–20
as leading indicator of human flourishing, 119–20
and natural environment, 86
rising, 174–76, 174
Life magazine, 7
Lindzen, Richard, 90
liquid fuel, 55, 68
Lovins, Amory, 9, 12, 194, 196
machine calories, 40–42
Maddison, Angus, 77
malaria, 145–47
malnutrition, 15, 174–75, 174
manure, 82
McKibben, Bill, 135, 178, 197
debate with author, 5, 187–91
dire forecasts of, 8, 22, 108, 127
Eaarth, 31–32
The End of Nature, 30–31, 108
influence of, 9, 189–90, 194
on outlawing fossil fuels, 9, 189
mechanization, oil-powered, 81
media:
dramatic stories in, 164–65
on pollution, 6–7, 8
mercury, 165–66
methane, 83
methanol, 68
methyl alcohol, 68
Michaels, Patrick, 90
Miliband, David, 178
mobility, 132–33, 171
models, see computer models
Monterey Shale, California, 191
morality, 13
mosquitoes, 145–46
Mother Nature, 86, 128, 129
NASA, on temperature change, 22
natural gas:
availability of, 17, 18, 178
consumption of, 11, 18, 44, 44
drilling of, 74
energy from, 3, 66, 69–70
and fracking, 70
LNG terminals, 70
methane, 83
and peak-load electricity, 69
reliability of, 12
resources required for production of, 49–50, 49
and safety, 159
nature:
enjoyment of, 170
hazards of, 176
nonimpact on, 194, 195, 199
preservation of, 32, 171–73
pristine, 30
transformation of, 129
Neff, Wes, 190
neodymium, 49
Netherlands, sea level in, 130–31, 134
Newcomen, Thomas, 141
New Scientist, 45
New York Times, 80
97 percent fabrication, 109–11
nitrogen:
and coal, 154, 168
plant absorption of, 82, 93
synthetic, 83
nitrogen oxides, 68
no-threshold fallacy, 166–68
nuclear fusion, 195–96
nuclear power, 59, 61–63, 135, 195
government control of, 62–63
opponents of, 9, 54
reliability of, 12
resources required for production of, 49–50, 49
and safety, 61–62, 159, 168
as supplement, 44
Obama, Barack, 109, 206–7
oil:
availability of, 17, 17, 178
consumption of, 11, 17, 44, 44
crude, 73
energy from, 3, 61, 71–72
exploration and extraction of,
71, 152
portability of, 71, 72
as raw material, 72, 73, 74
and resource creation, 73
shale, 71
spills, 159
strength to weight ratio of, 71
as transportation fuel, 68, 70, 71, 81–82
oil sands (tar sands), 26, 71
oil wells, first, 73
oxygen, 93
Paracelsus, 166
Parry, Simon, 155–56
peat, 131
Phelps, Michael, 40, 41
philosophy, study of, 5
phosphorus, 49
photosynthesis, 55
plants:
and CO2, 92, 114–17, 115, 208
dead, 65–66, 114, 151
energy from, see biomass
poisonous, 168
plastics, raw material for, 69, 74, 154
poisons, 62, 166–68
polar melt, 4, 130
polls, limited value of, 27
pollution:
catastrophic, 16
legislation of, 160–61
media stories about, 6–7, 8
overregulation of, 158
reduction of, 19, 19, 149–50, 156–59, 199
risks and side effects of, 151–54, 153, 165
smog, 20, 79, 143, 152, 158
polymers, 74
population, growth of, 15, 77–78, 77, 121
positive feedback loops, 99–100
Powder River Basin, Wyoming, 192
power:
cost of, 8–9, 63
definition of, 41
and energy, 41
out of control, 152, 159
rationed use of, 9
see also specific sources
precipitation, 93
predators, threat from, 128
quantification, use of term, 110
radiation, 97, 168
radiation poisoning, 62
radioactive metals, 61
radioactive waste, 47
railroads, 82
Rand, Ayn, Atlas Shrugged, 138–39
rare-earth elements, 49, 154–55
Reiter, Paul, 146–47
religion, standard of value in, 30
renewability, 181
resources:
creation of, 18–19, 73, 75, 180–82, 185, 195
depletion of, 8, 16, 179
evolution of, 75–76
increases in, 16–19, 181–82
proven reserves of, 17, 17
underpredicted availability of,
17–18
Ridley, Matt, The Rational Optimist, 81
Rifkin, Jeremy, 196
risks:
and alternatives, 43
and benefits, 15, 28–29, 134
dire forecasts of, 16, 18, 21
media attention on, 15
minimizing, 43, 159–60
Rockefeller, John D., 74
Rokita, Todd, 29
Rolling Stone, 108, 189
Russia, gas from, 69
sanitation systems, 21, 142, 147–49, 148
SASOL, 68
Saturday Night Live, 45
Scafetta, Nicola, 111
scalability, 56–57, 63, 65, 86–87
Schneider, Stephen, 111
scientific method:
ethical bind in, 112
and hypothesis presented as fact, 113
sea levels, rising, 4, 95, 106, 107, 130–31
shale energy technology, 191, 207; see also fracking
shale oil, 71
Shaviv, Nir, 111
Shikwati, James, 54
silicon, 49
Silliman, Benjamin Jr., 73
SkepticalScience.com, 110
slavery, 41
smog, 20, 79, 143, 152, 158
Socrates, 91
solar power:
backup required for, 53
concentrated solar power (CSP), 47–48
cost of, 46
cutting-edge promise of, 12
diluteness of, 48–50, 49, 65
energy from, 3
in Germany, 50–55, 51, 52
inadequacy as energy source, 57–58, 135
intermittency problem of, 48, 50–53, 65
niche uses for, 58
process of producing, 46
solar photovoltaic (solar PV), 47
supporters of, 9
unreliability of, 12
world use of, 11, 12, 44, 44
specialists, specialization, 27, 71, 112–14
standard of value, 29–33, 136, 195, 201; see also human life
Standard Oil, 74
statistics:
about disasters, 120–26, 121–25
cherry-picking, 54
computer models, 100–104, 102, 103, 108, 138
explicit endorsement without qualification, 110–11
hindcasting with, 101, 103
limited value of polls, 27
manipulation of, 17, 29, 99, 108, 109, 111–12
political uses of, 109
satellite data, 120
speculative models, 164–65
steam engine, 68, 74, 141, 142, 184
storm energy, 105, 105
storms, deaths from, 23, 121, 123–25, 123, 125, 128
storm walls, 131
sugarcane, energy from, 56
sulfur, 154, 168
sulfur dioxide, 47, 68, 158
sun, infrared radiation from, 97
sunlight, see solar power
Superstorm Sandy, 24, 25
supply and demand, 75
sustainability, 177–79, 180–81
synthetics, 72, 83
technology:
abuse of, 162–63
and climate livability, 126–29, 133, 137
development of, 18
energy needed to run, 129
energy needs met by, 34, 128–29, 172–73
opponents of, 196–97
solutions via, 134–35, 156–59, 207
technophobia, 164
temperature inversion, 158
temperatures:
and CO2, 22, 23, 108
deaths from, 23, 121
excessive, 128
and greenhouse effect, 22, 97, 102–3
rising, 7, 22, 104
and weather, 93
Tesla Roadster, 72
thorium, 61
3D seismic imaging, 71
Three Mile Island, 62
time, 172, 183, 185–86
titanium dioxide, 49
Tol, Richard, 111
transformation, as moral ideal,
200–202
transportation:
cost of, 82
high-energy, 128
improved, 123
travel, 84–85
trucks, 82
tsunamis, 130, 142
tuberculosis, 145, 146, 175
Turkey, hazelnuts grown in, 46
underdeveloped nations, 136–37