Beware of the Crusader
Those with a “Holy Cause” are dangerous
There is nothing more dangerous than someone fighting for perceived good. This is especially true if the would-be savior is convinced they are saving the world from a dire threat. No conceivable suffering on the part of others can stand in their way. The cause takes on a religious fervor.
CO2 and hydrocarbons are today’s version of that threat. Energy produced by Coal, oil, and natural gas cannot be used or the glaciers will melt, oceans will rise, or some other catastrophe will occur. I am almost eighty. I was briefly involved in a kind of church enthralled by the idea that the end was coming. I am amused by matching the “end-of-the-world” dates that churches and climate models predicted. The church predictions cause less harm because we don’t use them to pass laws
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In an earlier article, I mentioned a talk by Robert Bryce. He emphasizes how a small amount of electricity can be liberating for women in the world’s poorest societies. He notes that
Electricity Frees Women & Girls from the Pump, the Stove, And the Washtub
However, due to NetZero rigidity, first-world organizations like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) are more concerned with preventing any increase in CO2 than any improvement in the lives of some of the poorest women in the world.
The problems in the first world are causing political turmoil and lowering living standards. The environmental mandates require NetZero and “30 by 30.” Neither of these has public support. Don’t tell me about the polling results. Here’s how that works. Do you support efforts to prevent global warming? “Sure.” How much will you pay for it? “I can’t afford anything on my budget!” They go along with the crowd if they don’t have to pay for it.
Rob Henderson coined the term “Luxury Belief” to describe an idea that only the wealthy could afford. Society is harmed when laws are used to impose these ideas on those who can’t afford them. NetZero and “30 by 30 are examples.
European leaders are heavily committed to this program. As a result, its political systems are in chaos. Bryce describes it clearly in his book.
the European energy crisis did not start with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Indeed, Europe’s energy suicide was well underway long before Russian troops headed toward Kyiv.
Before Russia and Ukraine, many Europeans were energy poor.
in September 2021, according to the European Trade Union Confederation, some “15% of the EU’s working poor—the equivalent of 2,713,578 people—lacks enough money to turn on the heating.” I also noted that fertilizer plants and steel mills were “closing their doors because of high energy prices.”
German energy policy is a farce. The Russia-Ukraine conflict started in early 2022 and Germany’s cheap energy supply of natural gas from Russia was cut off. Any sane government would delay energy policy changes until that issue was resolved. Especially if the policy is questionable.
Bryce notes “the only” alternative to hydrocarbon fuels:
If the countries of the world are serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing more electricity to the billions of people now living in energy poverty, the only way to achieve these goals is with nuclear energy and lots of it.
But the Green party has always been part of the ruling coalition in Germany, and the nuclear plants were shut down in 2023!
In 2024 Germany had a limited natural gas supply and no nuclear power. So, what would rational leaders do? Since this is a country run by environmental fanatics, they shut down 15 coal-fired power plants. Then, in March 2025, they made a gloriously bad attempt to blow up another one.
A new political party has arisen in Germany. It is the AFD, “Alternative für Deutschland (Germany).” It wants to try a different energy policy. The insiders consider it a problem and have threatened to outlaw it.
German leaders keep talking about wind and solar. It doesn’t work. Germany built more wind and solar capacity in one year, and got less energy because it was a relatively dark, calm year.
Bryce discusses the problem.
Wind and solar energy cannot—will not—be able to meet our insatiable demand for energy and power at prices consumers can afford. The reasons for that are many, including their incurable intermittency and the staggering amount of metals and minerals needed to deploy them at scale. But the binding constraint is land use. There simply isn’t enough land to accommodate the massive amount of wind and solar infrastructure that would have to be built.
Fanaticism is frightening. It is on full display in Germany. Every move they made in terms of energy reduced their ability to meet the needs of their people in their homes and employment. The leaders didn’t care. We’re left with a frightening question. In his talk, Bryce had a chart showing $4.7 billion U.S. dollars going to groups supporting “Climatism.” I’m unsure which is worse because I don’t know if either is reversible. Greed and crusading both can provide reasons to be indifferent to harming others.
The time has come for those who suffer from this stuff to say, “Enough.” If you want less CO2, go nuclear. If you won’t do that, shut up and go away. We won’t let you make us energy poor. We won’t let you feel holy by making our lives difficult.