Anger in the Climate Patch: Exchange with a Climate Alarmist/Forced Energy Transformationist

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- July 26, 2021

“I keep saying to you, some of us are trying to … help the U.S. adapt to a climate you knuckleheads can’t seem to understand is changing rapidly because of your profession. Compete in a world where U.S. is an equal partner in opportunity. Not perish as a result of some delinquency.” (Williamson, below)

“There is no climate crisis. You can walk across the street and not notice the accumulated temperature change that is ‘killing’ the planet. Adaptation to weather requires wealth and a LOT of affordable, reliable energy.” (Bradley, below)

I actively challenge and trade thoughts with the members of the Church of Climate. I find much gratifying support from third parties–but encounter angry, emotional critics who throw everything they can at me.

Enter one Tim Williamson, an “infrastructure, efficiency and renewable energy expert” in the Baltimore/DC area. He posts on the problems confronting the climate agenda, and I rebut that it is a futile crusade. And the planet would be a lot better by terminating the multi-decade, ineffectual war against CO2.

He fumes with answers that are very revealing–and thus I amplify them on social media at MasterResource today and tomorrow.

We haven’t met. He is clearly very smart, done a lot of research on his views, and very passionate. But he is just not interested in learning what is wrong about his position, and his worldview stretches to a lot of peculiar insinuations.

And his worldview requires that I have to be some combination of uninformed and a shill for industry. Not so, but he cannot accept that–and his rants reveal what is behind a dark curtain.

Exchange 1: I report, you decide. Williamson’s comments are in yellow; mine in green.

Bradley: The futile crusade. Check your premises.

Tim Williamson: With smugness of a criminal, and all the audacity and arrogance of a tyrant, your one posting of untethered comments shows everyone why the rest of the world hates ugly Americans who work in oil and gas industry.

However, rest of the world has an answer for you: USG will be eliminating your subsidies; young Americans are lined up against your industry; Paris Agreement will undermine and completely strand most coal, oil and gas assets across the globe; other countries will be imposing cross-border adjustment taxes on coal, oil and gas products, and phasing out fossil fuel use in global power, buildings, transport and industrial sectors,…very soon. Evolve, adapt, compete, or perish….

Bradley: I don’t work in the oil and gas industry. I work for a think tank espousing the classical liberal ideal of voluntary transactions between consenting adults in a regime of private property and the rule of law. I write blogs and books, mostly.

I warn against government intervention where elites–intellectual and political, often in tandem–exploit the masses. That is what is going on today with climate alarmism/forced energy transformation.

I am pro-consumer … pro-taxpayer … pro freedom. I represent the average person who needs affordable, reliable energy.

I am also an energy realist and climate realist. Energy density rules.

There is no climate crisis. You can walk across the street and not notice the accumulated temperature change that is ‘killing’ the planet. Adaptation to weather requires wealth and a LOT of affordable, reliable energy.

Are you proud of green energy cronyism? Greenwashing? Do you want to coat the earth with all the wind turbines and solar arrays and batteries it would take to replace the minerals?

And who could afford to buy that energy anyway? Energy for the elites? Maybe you can afford it, but a lot of other people cannot.

COP 26 is in big trouble. We can agree on that.

Williamson: Ha, ha. What, you didn’t think I knew you are HNIC at an industry-funded collection of climate contrarians and misinformation specialists when I took your bait? Your shingle says it: “ I live for dark money”. Love it. Maybe you should stop, look and listen a little more before you leap next time. Let me help. I worked at DoS for nearly 30 years. My dad worked at DoS for nearly 40 years before me, I know what happened. You can’t confuse me. Your buddy Rex canceled my division at ENR. You are part of the Texas culture that brought the U.S. the Mexican-American War, the invasion of Iraq, Trump, and Jan 6 storming of the U.S. Capital. Give it up, or emigrate somewhere where you and your buddies think you can carry-on better. History is not on your side. Democracy is better than Autocracy. Have a nice day.

Bradley: I don’t know what you are talking about. HNIC? Rex? ENR? Autocracy? Texas culture? Get it all out and don’t speak in code. Not questioning your credentials and background–nor your intentions.

Williamson: Ok. Sorry, too much time at the front line. You, the big man on campus, the CEO and Founder, Rob. DOS/ENR/ARE.

Trump is an autocrat, and if you love Trump you don’t want democracy.

Texas Culture. “Three-legged Willy” Williamson was a famous Texan. My family lost whole generation at Battle of Pea Ridge and the land where Fort Chafee sits today. We never had any slaves. My cousins, aunts and uncles on one side of my family are all Okla-Arkla-Texans. You and I both know “Everything is bigger in Texas.” Of course, it’s not. Whether or not most Texans know about Mexican-American War, know where the Alamo is, or about 9/11 doesn’t matter. Texas simply has it’s own distinct mucho-brag-about-it-all, in your face culture. Currently which seems teetering toxic towards autocracy, and not giving a hoot. That’s what I am talking about. Libertarians like you and Koch are running amuck. Get back to democracy and caring.

Bradley: Do the climate math yourself on where we are and what we ‘need’ to do. It is a ‘tears in the ocean’ problem.

My point is that with the log-over-linear effect of GHG forcing, and with a current global boom in oil, natural gas/LNG, and coal, it is game-over for mitigation.

It is adaptation time for the climate alarmists.

But as important, it is time for a reality check on climate alarmism before the world is coated with industrial wind turbines, solar arrays, and batteries.

There is a strong case for CO2/climate optimism to get rid of the dread and panic that is unnecessary and emotionally unhealthy.

https://www.aier.org/article/climate-co2-optimism/

And Exchange 2:

Bradley: You really need to open your eyes to critics of climate alarmism. Judith Curry or Steven Koonin’s new book are excellent places to start. Don’t fall back on the Malthusian consensus that has been wrong since the 1960s.

Climate/CO2 optimism has a strong intellectual basis.
https://www.aier.org/article/climate-alarmism-reconsidered/ I promise it will cheer you up!

Williamson: Thanks for trolling me. However, I have some bad news for you…I have been working on energy independence for America – from oil and gas – since 9/11. You are not turning me away from my calling. Osama Bin Ladin directly cited the behavior of, and presence of American oil and gas industry in Saudi Arabia as one of his reasons for the 9/11 attacks. Read 9/11 report.

As a consequence, Texas oil industry is complicit in:

* Deaths of 3,000 Americans who died on 9/11; and,
* Wasting the blood of over 15,000 Americans who have died invading Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan; and,
* Wasting $6.4T of America’s treasure on Mideast wars since 9/11; and…

Your industry is directly responsible for 1/2 of all the emissions in the atmosphere since 1950. So, keep shoveling half-baked data out the door, until you can’t anymore.

The world (outside Texas) is lined up against combustion of fossil fuels. Evolve, adapt, compete or perish.

Bradley: Let me address your points.

First, there is the foreign policy issue of American and the Middle East. I think governments are the bigger problem than the domestic oil industry or the international energy majors. By 9/11, ARAMCO and not oil companies was in charge.

If it were not for nationalization, the whole Middle East situation would have been much better. You should be for private property rights, including privatization of the subsoil to democratize wealth for the masses.

Second, your fixation on CO2 as a negative is just a Malthusian scare tactic. Global lukewarming is occurring and positive in many respects. So is CO2 fertilization. It’s a great time to be a tree or plant–best in centuries.

Your statement that “The world (outside Texas) is lined up against combustion of fossil fuels. Evolve, adapt, compete or perish” is too emotional and quite incorrect.

There is a consumer-led global boom in all fossil fuels. The US produces 15% of global CO2 emissions, and the developing world is gung-ho on oil, gas, and coal.

Dense, mineral energies for the masses–and sparing all of wind and solar and batteries–is the great promise of energy freedom.

Williamson: Like I said, evolve, adapt, compete or perish. Hard facts are working against your indefensible self-interests.

Bradley: As I said elsewhere, check your premises on climate alarmism/forced energy transformation.

Do you really want to coat the earth with all the industrial wind turbines and solar arrays and batteries it would take to replace the minerals?

I want an energy-rich, thriving world for higher living standards for all.

Williamson: I want lower exposure to financial risk for U.S. economy in the face of energy transition, incoming CBAMs, and climate change. Lead, follow or get out of the way.

Bradley: I retort: Stop the futile climate crusade. Dense energy is winning and must win for modern future living.

Stop unnecessarily increasing the cost of energy. Stop price spikes and ‘greenouts’ from wind and solar. Stop ruining the landscape with inferior, redundant energy.

Stop pretending that a technological fix is just ahead. Start questioning climate alarmism. Appreciate the positive qualities of the green greenhouse gas, CO2.

And understand the log-over-linear effect of CO2 forcing.

It’s time to end the futile climate crusade in the name of economics, energy justice, and the landscape.

I like my intellectual case–you should just consider it as the climate crusade becomes self-defeating.

Bradley: You said: “I want lower exposure to financial risk for U.S. economy in the face of energy transition…”

Don’t worry about hypothetical climate risk, worry about renewables causing blackouts and countless billions of dollars of price-spike costs. The Texas experience ruins the case for renewables on the grid.

Good intentions are not enough, Results are what matter. “Green’ energy is not green (except as in money) and is a mess that the world is waking up to.

Williamson: Dribble-on, my good man. Dribble-on.

Others, like myself, are trying to help the U.S. evolve as one whole country to face a world where energy security doesn’t equal fossil fuels. Help U.S. adapt to a climate you knuckleheads can’t seem to understand is changing rapidly because of your profession. Compete in a world where U.S. is an equal partner in opportunity. Not perish as a result of some delinquency, or because society followed along with a rash of stupid decisions made by folks (like your benefactor-handlers) who only care about themselves.

And in Exchange 3 (where he repeats the 9-11 argument:

Bradley: End the futile climate crusade and redirect resources to real problems–like forest management.

Williamson: Give it up, Rob. Your benefactors are wasting their money. Your chant sounds like Myra Gulch delivering a muffled “Surrender Dorothy.” I’d give you some pointers. However, I really don’t want to give you false hope or encouragement. I am used to being heckled, having dreams shattered, thrown under a bus. Makes me stronger. However, I’m sure millennials and Gen-Zers with a long life ahead, find your spiel less amusing, and your approach less of a hoot. Give it up.

Instead, do us all a favor. Buy yourself an electric heat-pump dryer, and water heater, a solar system with batteries, and an EV. Save yourself some money, and stick it to your puppet master by joining the fray. The young folks need to catch a break. Thx!

Bradley: Please stick to the arguments and drop the personal stuff.

COP 26 is no match for a global tripartite boom in oil, natural gas/LNG, and coal. Dense, mineral energies are winning despite the best efforts of government coercion to prop up dilute, intermittent energies that have negative effects on the ecosystem.

So it is very timely to get back to the basics of physical science and economics, and political science to understand why this is a futile crusade.

Time for climate alarmists to make mid-course corrections.

Williamson: Nope. It’s a good prop. It gets under your skin. It puts you off your and your benefactors perpetual game of distraction. It calls you and your organization out. It will eventually drive you away, or cause you to loose faith because of your wounds. It’s the right tool for me to use because of your personality to allow me to disarm you. It’s already working.

I keep saying to you, some of us are trying to help the U.S. evolve as one whole country to face a world where energy security doesn’t equal fossil fuels. We are trying to help the U.S. adapt to a climate you knuckleheads can’t seem to understand is changing rapidly because of your profession. Compete in a world where U.S. is an equal partner in opportunity. Not perish as a result of some delinquency, or because society followed along with a rash of stupid decisions made by folks (like your benefactor-handlers) who only care about themselves.

I want lower exposure to financial risk for U.S. economy in the face of energy transition, incoming CBAMs, and accelerating climate change. Lead, follow or get out of the way.

Bradley: Very strange personal strategy. I think most neutral observers would want a debate on the merits rather than trying to paint one’s opponent as a bad person.

Williamson: Not to worry. It’s working. Your views are not neutral. They are incendiary. They are designed to introduce meaningless and untrue arguments about the virtues of fossil fuels, into ongoing conversations about renewable energy, and energy transition.. By design, everything you post is absent a reference, a source, or any supporting data. You troll folks, you throw hand grenades when you enter conversations, you peddle in lies, and easy to disprove falsehoods. You don’t care. As a result, I will continues to use your own tools against you.

AYK Osama Bin Ladin directly cited the behavior of, and presence of American oil and gas industry in Saudi Arabia as one of his reasons for the 9/11 attacks. Read the 9/11 report.

Ergo, Texas oil industry is complicit in:

* Deaths of 3,000 Americans who died on 9/11; and,
* Wasting the blood of over 15,000 Americans who have died invading Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan; and,
* Wasting $6.4T of America’s treasure on Mideast wars since 9/11; and…

Your industry is directly responsible for 1/2 of all the GHG emissions in the atmosphere emitted since 1950. So, keep up on shoveling, until you can’t anymore. Serious countermeasures await your every next move. Evolve, adapt, compete or perish.

Bradley: I have many books and articles with literally tens of thousands of footnotes documenting my views.

And as far as being fringe, some years ago I won a debate held by The Economist on some of the subjects we are debating.

https://www.masterresource.org/economist-magazine-2/economist-debate-renewables/

Not trying to brag, just pointing out that I have plenty of standing in our debate and do not question your funding, motives, or expertise.

Back to the debate: Fossil fuels are winning, and COP 26 is in big trouble …. The futile CO2 crusade is wasting resources that could go to here-and-now problems and …. is leaving us with a blighted landscape of wind turbines and solar panels, something that few really want.

Williamson: I’m not questioning the time on your knees, either. You work for a group of charlatans who will stop at nothing to maintain the status quo,… by whatever means necessary. Democracy doesn’t matter, other peoples opinions and rights don’t matter, lesser beings, creatures great and small don’t matter, hell fire and brimstone doesn’t matter to some of your benefactors. I’ve seen their egos in action for a long time.

Also, I don’t care if you are Yuri Geller, Liberace, whether you think the election was stolen, you climbed the ladder backwards, or went to Nazi camp as a teen. You are peddling fiction for people who really don’t give a damn about you. Wise up.

IEA has finally run umpteen scenarios of getting to 1.5C inside their global energy system model and they have concluded no new coal, oil, or gas projects are needed. Inconvenient for your message.

Keep emissions records. Prove your points, Rob. Shoebox GHG sniffer satellites are being launched to begin their own records, too.

Because, if your masters don’t want to make the grade cutting emissions by 2030 & 2050, they are not needed at COP26. Anyone who can’t make the grade has no business helping countries determine humanity’s future on earth.

Bradley: just listen to yourself. Read back what you wrote to yourself. And I’ll let others judge.

Just interested in the arguments. I am quite my own man and always have been in the last 45 years or so of writing about energy.

Free-market, classical-liberal energy analysis stands on its own merits. It questions the Malthusian models, from the 1972 MIT model to the IEA models you cite above that can be easily finetuned to get a variety of outcomes.

It is very simple. Mineral energies rule over dilute, intermittent ones. Miracles are not going to happen to reverse the energy density problem.

And a simple compromise is …. voluntary relations, not government coercion, between adults on energy matters.

Don’t be left holding the wind and solar bag and wonder where all the landscape went.

Williamson: We’re headed towards 60% electrons and 40% molecules in global energy system by 2050, Rob. You can’t stop it. Give up your charade.

Bradley: With a whole lot of coercion and waste, which is why the politics are going in the other direction (think COP 26 is going to be a success?)

2050 stuff is desperation. We are all dead, remember, from climate change, and we will die again a few more times before then.

A lot of people are tired of the exaggerations and have had enough of climate alarmism.

If science is prediction, then the climate crusade needs a rethink.

Williamson: You Nietzsche followers are all the same. Godless. I hope you have your white jumpsuit and red swoosh Nike shoes with you in your go-bag. You never know when your leader might call on you take you into the rapture. Run along, you don’t want to be late for your next Heaven’s Gate meeting. Evolve, adapt, compete, or perish.