A Refinery in Texas
The Moral Case for fossil fuels
The Key to Winning Hearts and Minds
Alex Epstein does extraordinary work trying desperately to get people in the Oil/Gas/Refining business to make the moral case for oil & gas to the general public. He has extraordinary success wherever he speaks, but he is only one man.
You might say that it’s offensive to compare the fossil fuel industry to the tobacco industry—and you’d be right. But in the battle for hearts and minds, you are widely viewed as worse than the tobacco industry.
Your attackers have successfully portrayed your core product, fossil fuel energy, as a self-destructive addic- tion that is destroying our planet, and your industry as a fundamentally immoral industry. In a better world, the kind of world we should aspire to, they argue, the fossil fuel industry would not exist.
but,
Translation: solar and wind are superior, “sustainable,” “renewable” forms of energy—a “vision” we should make “a reality.” And natural gas is justified, not as a great source of power that deserves to exist because it is great, but as a necessary means to a “renewable” future. It’s clear that ideally we wouldn’t want natural gas, but unfortunately we need it now.
Another way in which the fossil fuel industry reinforces the moral case against itself is by bragging that it is less destructive of the planet than it used to be.
This is a ten page report by Alex Epstein. I could not recommend it more highly. It is worth anyone’s time.
Here are just some of the stupid and self-destructive things the O&G Industry does to damage its own justification for existing.
- Not mentioning the word “oil” on homepages (this has at times been true of ExxonMobil, Shell, and Chevron). This implies that you’re ashamed of what you do, and that your critics are right that oil is a self- destructive addiction.
- Focusing attention on everything but your core product—community service initiatives, charitable contributions, etc. This implies that you’re ashamed of your core product.
- Praising your attackers as “idealistic.” This implies that those who want your destruction are pursuing a legitimate ideal.
- Apologizing for your “environmental footprint.” This implies that there’s something wrong with the industri- al development that is inherent in energy production.
- Spending most of your time on the defensive. This implies that you don’t have something positive to champion.
Here is just one of many examples of Alex Epstein’s victories. This occurred at Vassar College, one of the most elite, exclusive campuses in America:
Before Alex Epstein’s lecture, no other students on my campus could imagine an environmental
or moral defense of the fossil fuel industry. Now, weeks later, I am amazed at how they now defend the industry. The moderates tell me that the deci-sion to invite Epstein was the best thing we could have done. The Greens affiliated with 350.org who walked out on Epstein’s lecture faced an immediate campus backlash bigger than I had ever seen. We thought these environmentalists were undefeatable for the past three years, but now, two weeks later, I can say that they are no longer a powerful force on campus.—Julian Hassan, student, Vassar College
And that, my friends is nothing short of staggering given the pompous, sanctimonious progressive attitude known to Vassar.
RTWDT.
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