“Experts are unanimous that the increase in oil and gas production will play a critical role in the Nigerian economy’s recovery in 2021. Forecasts indicate that oil and gas production will continue to increase rapidly in the next two decades.”

“Nigeria’s current power generation is around 5,000 MW, while the ideal capacity would be around 30,000 MW. Nigeria plans to add six new coal plants by 2037. Together with 9 new additions of gas plants, this would provide an additional 11,163 MW of power.”

There have been reports that Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy, is shifting away from oil and gas and is looking to invest in renewables. Recent energy decisions and investments show otherwise. The country is placing its bet on fossil fuels.

Fossil Fuels: Key to Nigeria’s Energy Future

Only 45 percent of Nigerians have access to the national power grid.…

Ed. Note: The Cato Institute has long been an intellectual and advocacy force for climate realism (the global lukewarming school), as well as free-market energy policies in the face of climate alarmism. This post shares Cato’s work on both issues in this historic week of climate activism to, in President Biden’s words, “set America on a path of net-zero emissions economy by no later than 2050.”

This post will be updated with any new material from Cato on these subjects.

………………..

[Nothing on Earth Day] [!!]

[April 23rd: Electric Vehicles and the Biden Infrastructure Plan]

This post by Chris Edwards is just regular fare with little-to-nothing to do with the climate/energy transformation war raging outside of Cato’s windows.

The piece is also very shallow and politically correct, trying to make the argument that more government subsidies are not needed because electric vehicles (EVs) can now stand on their own….…

This reprint from a collection of essays at Julian Simon.com is published as an ode to Earth Day (tomorrow). This piece was finalized in Simon’s treatise, The Ultimate Resource 2 (1996), pp. 604–607. Simon’s relative politeness to his adversary is a tribute to open, honest, and respectful debate (versus the Paul R. Ehrlich approach).

“When you launch a space shuttle you don’t trot out the flat-earthers to be commentators. They’re outside the bounds of what ought to be discourse in the media. In the field of ecology, Simon is the absolute equivalent of the flat-earthers.” (Paul Ehrlich, quoted below)

For economy of treatment of the matter of attack rhetoric, let’s focus on just one critic, Paul Ehrlich, who has directed a great deal of colorful language in my direction (see also his comments in the Afternote to Chapter 15, and my interchange with him in Simon, 1990, Selection 43).…

“ERCOT asks residents, businesses to conserve electricity over potential lack of generating power … The April surprise served as a reminder to Texans that they’re not clear of the vulnerability that brought the state to a standstill in February.” So read a headline in the Dallas Morning News (April 13, 2021) This event led to the interview, below.

“Texas has reached the limit of our renewable dependence. There certainly should not be any more wind or solar for the grid…. [Renewables] are turning an energy-rich state into an energy-poor state.” (Bradley)

According to a report from America’s Power, through 2018, renewable energy resources — primarily wind and solar — have received subsidies amounting to more than $100 billion. (Fairley)

The Houston Republic—a source of fair reporting for conservative, libertarian, and classical-liberal views— recently published a piece in which I was featured.…