Weekly Word: Driessen stops by to talk eco-imperialism and the evolution of environmentalism
Paul Driessen, author of “Eco-Imperialism” and a major voice on energy and environmental issues, joined Jason Spiess and The Word Merchant Stephen Heins on the Weekly Word.
Spiess began by mentioning “people in white lab coats” were promoting renewable energy. Driessen went on to comment about the fact CO2 was only .04 percent of the atmosphere; instead he thought that the more important issue was “energy density,” because it gave more bang for the buck. He also mentioned that the current government incentives for renewables weren’t a free market solution and that even The European Union had started walking away from their subsidies.
While financial institutions like CALPERS were making ideological investments in non-fossil fuels, Heins talked about the fiduciary responsibility and regulation for financial institutions, when they are investing other people’s capital. Driessen observed that several university endowment funds were anti-Fossil fuel prejudices, too.
Spiess discussed the importance of the Shale Revolution, with an emphasis on job creation and Heins added that capital formation through profitability was necessary for any investments in new technology and infrastructure.
They also discussed the inefficiencies of premature investments made by government dictate. Heins pointed out that China was already suffering from such dictates.
Driessen concluded with a powerful point: Developing nations should do what the wealthier countries did by following their ways of making money and investments. Heins went on to say that large-scale energy efficiency will continue to be the “quickest, cleanest, cheapest” form of new energy for all nations. He finished his comments by talking about the efficiencies of the Internet of Things and the industrial Internet.
Spiess finished the program by talking about the “religion of environmentalism” and its ideology, with Driessen returning to the importance of economic development and Heins reemphasized the primacy of return on investments.
