Trump’s pick for energy secretary thinks climate change is good, actually

Chris Wright, a Big Oil CEO picked by Trump to lead the Department of Energy, says the planet could stand to be a little warmer.

Dec. 9, 2024, 4:00 PM CST

By Ja’han Jones

Over the years, the arguments against taking meaningful action against climate change have evolved from raising doubts about the science to claiming that rising temperatures might not be caused by human activity. Now President-elect Donald Trump is pushing it in an entirely new direction: Climate change is good, actually.

Trump, who has mused that rising sea levels might lead to more beachfront property, announced recently that his pick for energy secretary is Chris Wright, a Big Oil CEO who has downplayed the risks of rising global temperatures and argued that climate change might actually be good for the world.

[…]

Per the WSJ: 

A fracking executive, Wright acknowledges that burning fossil fuels is contributing to rising temperatures. But he also says climate change makes the planet greener by increasing plant growth, boosts agricultural productivity and likely reduces the number of temperature-related deaths annually. “It’s probably almost as many positive changes as there are negative changes,” he told conservative media nonprofit PragerU last year, referring to climate change. “Is it a crisis, is it the world’s greatest challenge, or a big threat to the next generation? No.”

[…]

MSLSD MSNDC MSNBC

That is as far as I read Mr. Jones’ ignorant screed. If anything beyond the WSJ quote is worth reading, hopefully someone will let me know in the comments.

For starters, Chris Wright is not a “Big Oil” CEO.

Big Oil is a name sometimes used to describe the world’s six or seven largest publicly traded and investor-owned oil and gas companies, also known as supermajors.^[5][6][7][8] The term, particularly in the United States, emphasizes their economic power and influence on politics. Big Oil is often associated with the fossil fuels lobby and also used to refer to the industry as a whole in a pejorative or derogatory manner.^[9]

[…]

Wikipedia

Chris Wright is the CEO of Liberty Energy, an oilfield services company. While fairly large, with a current market cap of ~$3.1 billion, Liberty doesn’t even rank in the top ten companies in their industrial sector. Liberty is primarily involved in unconventional well completion services (AKA frac’ing). They are also involved in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) delivery and logistics.

Integrated Alternative Fuel and Power Solutions for Remote Applications

The oilfield is undergoing a generational technology shift in fuel use from diesel to clean-burning natural gas, with Liberty at the forefront of this change. Liberty Power Innovations (LPI) bolsters Liberty’s technology transition by vertically integrating fueling and power services with compressed natural gas (CNG) supply, and well-site fueling and logistics.

LPI’s on-site fuel distribution service reliably distributes natural gas to pumps and gensets in concert with all sources of natural gas fuel supply.

Visit LPI

Liberty Energy

One would think that MSNBC would be applauding a future Secretary of Energy who is currently at the forefront of an actual “shift in fuel use from diesel to clean-burning natural gas.” But, that would require an IQ greater than Peter Dinklage’s shoe size.

Regarding future Secretary Wright’s views on climate change, Robert Rapier summed them up quite well in this Forbes article:

Chris Wright’s Stance: Not a Climate Change Skeptic

Unlike traditional skeptics, Wright acknowledges that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas contributing to atmospheric warming.

As Forbes columnist Christopher Helman noted in a profile piece on Wright, “He has stated publicly for years his belief that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that is no doubt making the atmosphere warmer than it otherwise would be.”

This acceptance separates him from outright climate change deniers. Wright’s positions focus more on the economic and practical implications of addressing climate change rather than disputing its existence.

Economic and Practical Perspectives

Wright’s approach mirrors a school of thought that challenges the economic feasibility of extreme climate measures. This group may argue that measures like carbon taxes and green energy subsidies disproportionately burden economies and lower-income populations without guaranteed benefits.

Another perspective emphasizes human adaptability, arguing that societies have historically overcome environmental challenges and can adapt to future changes without drastic interventions. This is coupled with the belief that media coverage overstates the immediacy and severity of climate issues to create sensationalist narratives, leading to public misunderstandings.

Lastly, some challenge the notion that proposed solutions will be effective or equitable. They argue that the costs and disruptions associated with transitioning to renewable energy or implementing climate policies might outweigh the benefits, particularly when the scale of global emissions reductions needed seems daunting and the efforts of developed nations might be offset by rising emissions in developing economies.

[…]

Conclusion

Chris Wright’s views highlight the tension between environmental goals and economic considerations. While critics may label him a skeptic, his acknowledgment of carbon dioxide’s role in global warming distinguishes him from outright deniers.

The debate over his nomination reflects broader societal challenges in achieving a sustainable and equitable path to addressing climate change. As the global community continues to grapple with these issues, the importance of nuanced and balanced policymaking cannot be overstated.

Forbes

Here is a link to the actual PragerU interview of Chris Wright. Nothing he said was wrong or even controversial. Definitely worth watching. His positions on energy and climate change are very similar to those of Steve Koonin, Michael Shellenberger and Bjorn Lomborg.

Regarding climate change having been good so far…

“Climate change makes the planet greener by increasing plant growth”

“Boosts agricultural productivity”

“Likely reduces the number of temperature-related deaths annually”

“Bettering Human Lives”

Liberty Energy Inc. Releases 2024 Bettering Human Lives Report

DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Liberty Energy Inc. (NYSE: LBRT; “Liberty” or the “Company”) proudly announced today the release of our 2024 Bettering Human Lives report, highlighting the central role that energy plays in human lives.

“A thriving energy system enables a thriving society and a future of opportunity. Unfortunately, politics is increasingly dominating the trajectory of American energy with growing consequences. The costs of getting energy wrong include reduced living standards, fewer job opportunities, reduced national security, and reduced environmental quality,” commented Chris Wright, Chief Executive Officer. “Bettering Human Lives seeks to inform readers and drive thoughtful dialogue surrounding the tradeoffs at the nexus of energy, climate, poverty, and prosperity. The comprehensive report is filled with real-world case studies and segmented into six sections: Energy, Energy and the Modern World, Energy Poverty, Climate Change, Climate Economics, and an in-depth section on Liberty Energy.”

“Liberty strives to be a force for disruptive change in the energy industry with our culture of excellence, technological advancements, and our quest to advance energy production. We strongly support all energy sources that improve our energy system and better lives,” continued Mr. Wright. “Earlier this year, we announced the launch of the Bettering Human Lives Foundation specifically to address this most urgent energy access issue, furthering our ambition to deliver the secure, affordable, reliable energy vital to human success. Liberty has provided $1 million of initial funding to kickstart the BHL Foundation’s efforts to provide better access to clean cooking fuels in Africa. We hope that many more will join us in this endeavor to improve the health, longevity, and expand opportunities for those currently living in energy poverty.”

Key Takeaways from the 2024 Bettering Human Lives Report:

1. Energy is essential to life and the world needs more of it!
2. The modern world today is powered by and made of hydrocarbons.
3. Hydrocarbons are essential to improving the wealth, health, and life opportunities for the less energized seven billion people who aspire to be among the world’s lucky one billion.
4. Hydrocarbons supply more than 80% of global energy and thousands of critical materials and products.
5. The American Shale Revolution transformed energy markets, energy security, and geopolitics.
6. Global demand for oil, natural gas, and coal are all at record levels and rising — no energy transition has begun.
7. Modern alternatives, like solar and wind, provide only a part of electricity demand and do not replace the most critical uses of hydrocarbons. Energy-dense, reliable nuclear could be more impactful.
8. Making energy more expensive or unreliable compromises people, national security, and the environment.
9. Climate change is a global challenge but is far from the world’s greatest threat to human life.
10. Zero Energy Poverty by 2050 is a superior goal compared to Net Zero emissions by 2050.

“Our mission is to better human lives. Human happiness comes through relationships, love, and a strong life purpose. Preconditions for these ultimate ends are food, shelter, health, education, and longevity,” continued Mr. Wright. “None of these are possible without energy, and the quality of each depends on the degree of access to affordable, reliable, and secure energy.”

The Bettering Human Lives report is available for download at www.libertyenergy.com. Requests for the printed report can be made at Liberty’s website, or please contact BHL@libertyenergy.com.

About Liberty

Liberty is a leading North American energy services firm that offers one of the most innovative suites of completion services and technologies to onshore oil and natural gas exploration and production companies. Liberty was founded in 2011 with a relentless focus on developing and delivering next-generation technology for the sustainable development of unconventional energy resources in partnership with our customers. Liberty is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. For more information about Liberty, please visit www.libertyenergy.com. For more information about the Bettering Human Lives Foundation, please visit www.betteringhumanlives.org.

Liberty Energy

“Climate Change is Good”

(Borrowed from The Pilgrims and the Little Ice Age.)

Who else remembers the 1970’s?

Observed temperatures were consistent with models of natural forcing mechanisms up until about 1975.

Even if anthropogenic CO₂ emissions are actually the cause of all of the warming since 1975, we’d still be in “The Ice Age Cometh” mode if not for fossil fuels.

Giving Thanks for Fossil Fuels

From 1800 to 1900, per capita energy consumption, primarily from biomass, remained relatively flat; as did the average life expectancy. From 1900 to 1978, per capita energy consumption roughly tripled with the rapid growth in fossil fuel production (coal, oil & gas). This was accompanied by a doubling of average life expectancy. While I can’t say that fossil fuels caused the increase in life expectancy, I can unequivocally state that everything that enabled the increase in life expectancy wouldn’t have existed or happened without fossil fuels, particularly petroleum.

Our modern society would not exist without fossil fuels and it would collapse in a heartbeat if fossil fuels were made unavailable and/or unaffordable. One of the coolest things about being a petroleum geologist, is that I can give thanks for fossil fuels and say “you’re welcome” in the same sentence.

Frac On!

…

By Jo Nova

Here in crazy Australia, we have too many renewables, but both sides of politics still want more

Here in the Renewable Crash Test Dummy Land, both sides of politics think we should use our national grid for weather control which is good for President Xi, but bad for Australians.  The Opposition is pointing out that the 82% renewable purity target is bonkers, and we should add nuclear plants, while the Labor party are hell-bent on running the world’s first experiment in wind and solar with not much hydro, no nuclear power and no extension cords to a international market that can rescue us. Literally no nation on Earth is this recklessly ambitious.

With an election coming, and domestic electricity prices approaching escape velocity, both sides are sparring with economic reports. The government claims it can do a national wind and solar miracle grid for just $122 billion.  But Frontier Economics put the cost at $594 billion. The opposition, meanwhile, has finally revealed the first serious costing of their big new nuclear power plan is $331 billion (which is $260 billion cheaper), but it’s still $300 billion we don’t really have.

Awkwardly for Labor, both latter cost comparisons come from the same economists — Frontier Economics. And as Simon Benson points out in The Australian, the Energy Minister might like to discredit them, but his own department uses the same team for energy modelling, so he can’t.

Thus in news that will surprise no engineer, a fifty year old technology will be about half the cost of a wild national experiment with technology so new, half of it hasn’t even been developed yet. The real surprise is that the difference is not bigger, and perhaps the reason for that is that the Coalition plan still has a lot of renewables.

Can’t we just have cheap electricity, and skip the “weather control” fantasy?

Sadly for Australians, no economists, academics, or over-paid bureaucrats, are looking for the cheapest option, which would be coal and gas — or exactly what we had 30 years ago. The invisible problem here is that the Coalition’s plan is 38% nuclear and 53% crazy. (It’s 53% renewables, or 53% unreliable, however you want to label it).

Australia is currently 36% renewable, and it’s already too much

Australia is well beyond the sweet spot of renewable energy, the more we add now, the worse it gets. We already have so much roof-top solar power we are savagely curtailing most of our solar grid scale plants, even in early Spring.

One warm week and the grid is on the verge of blackouts. We’re paying industries to shut down so the grid can survive a normal summer day.

The small Alice Springs microgrid became too unstable with little more than 13% solar power. A cloud rolled over and the whole town blacked out. Since that scare in 2019, other perfectly good solar plants have sat idle for 4 years in the Northern Territory because the people running their grid are afraid their presence will crash the Darwin grid too.

And after the Sydney near miss, our own national grid manager has belatedly realized solar power threatens our largest cities and now wants emergency powers to switch off individual panels spread across 4 million homes. And the South Australians want to force two diesel plants to return to service.

Meanwhile the surge of negative prices at midday is frightening off investors. Jeff Dimery, the head of Alinta Energy, basically said electricity has to get a lot more expensive before an investor will even think of building something to replace coal in Australia.

“At $58, I can’t build anything to meaningfully prepare for coal to come out of the system. I can’t build more solar, because we already have a glut of solar in the middle of the day, which is sending spot prices deeply negative. If I was just looking at the forward price, I would also be very wary about building new wind, because the margins would be slim to non-existent, and any curtailment – which is a growing problem – could be disastrous.”“

When will one of our 27 government agencies find out what Australians really want to know — what grid would get us the cheapest reliable electricity?

Let’s have a plebescite on whether we should be paying to “fix” the weather?