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Start giftingThe Moral Case for Fossil Fuels
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Learn moreFor decades, environmentalists have told us that using fossil fuels is a self-destructive addiction that will destroy our planet. Yet by every measure of human well-being, from life expectancy to clean water to climate safety, life has been getting better and better. How can this be?
The explanation is that we usually hear only one side of the story. We're taught to think only of the negatives of fossil fuels, their risks and side effects, but not their positives—their unique ability to provide cheap, reliable energy for a world of seven billion people. And the moral significance of cheap, reliable energy is woefully underrated. Energy is our ability to improve every single aspect of life, whether economic or environmental.
If we look at the big picture of fossil fuels compared with the alternatives, the overall impact of using fossil fuels is to make the world a far better place. We are morally obligated to use more fossil fuels for the sake of our economy and our environment.
Alex Epstein is founder and president of the Center for Industrial Progress, as well as the author of Fossil Fuels Improve the Planet. He is a regular columnist at Forbes.com, and his writings have been published in the Wall Street Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Investor's Business Daily, among hundreds of other publications. A philosopher by training, he challenges many of our era's popular notions about energy, industry, and environment, routinely engaging environmentalists in open debate over the big-picture benefits of fossil fuels and nuclear power. His work has garnered both heavy praise from supporters and fierce opposition from adversaries, and has changed the way thousands think about energy. Alex lives in California.
Alex Epstein is founder and president of the Center for Industrial Progress, as well as the author of Fossil Fuels Improve the Planet. He is a regular columnist at Forbes.com, and his writings have been published in the Wall Street Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Investor's Business Daily, among hundreds of other publications. A philosopher by training, he challenges many of our era's popular notions about energy, industry, and environment, routinely engaging environmentalists in open debate over the big-picture benefits of fossil fuels and nuclear power. His work has garnered both heavy praise from supporters and fierce opposition from adversaries, and has changed the way thousands think about energy. Alex lives in California.