This continues my three-part review of Andrew Dessler’s primer on the physical science and political economy of climate change, Introduction to Modern Climate Change (2nd edition: 2016).

Part I, “Suggestions for More Interdisciplinary Scholarship, Less Advocacy,” brought attention to the uneven treatment of issues in science, economics, and public policy that tainted the primer. I questioned the Deep Ecology assumption of optimal nature, wherein, according to Dessler, “any change in climate, either warming or cooling, will result in overall negative outcomes for human society” (p. 146).

This seems exactly wrong in our interglacial period when climate-related fatalities have fallen dramatically and agricultural production has soared thanks to warmth but particularly to fossil-fueled capitalism. Incentives and wealth have proven more than a match for the vicissitudes of weather and climate. As Alex Epstein (The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels, pp.…

“This is not an advocacy book…. (p. xi)

“[T]he single most important thing you can do is become politically active … and vote for politicians who support action on climate.” (p. 245)

In the Acknowledgements of Enron Ascending: The Forgotten Years (2018), I co-dedicated the book to a scholar and friend who crossed disciplines to advance our understanding of the real world. His intellectual trespassing benefited from diligence and fairness. I wrote: “Donald Lavoie taught me the value of scholarship in which opposing views are deeply understood, charitably interpreted, and thoroughly evaluated.”

This brings me to Andrew Dessler’s Introduction to Modern Climate Change (2nd edition: 2016, 3rd ed. in process). While this book is well organized, clearly written, and full of settled physical science, it fails the Lavoie Standard in the areas of unsettled climatology, history, and political economy.…

“Air-conditioning demystifies nature’s miracles, and contributes to a culture characterized by disconnection and overconsumption.”

– Neri Oxman (MIT Media Lab), quoted here

“‘I’d rather sweat and stink and drink ice water.'”

– Mark Feeney (Boston Globe), quoted here

My recent blog at the Institute for Energy Research (IER) website documented an ongoing series at the New York Times aimed at getting one and all to lower their carbon footprint.

Grill vegetables, not meat. Use gas, not charcoal or wood. Watch how you wash your car and boil your water. Drink your coffee cold. Avoid dairy. Forgo the flowers. To which I said:

In a free society, personal choices are made for reasons of health, safety, convenience, quality, and affordability. Time is as important as dollars. Quality is valued over lesser substitutes.

The Alliance for Wise Energy Decisions (AWED) is an informal coalition of individuals and organizations interested in improving national, state, and local energy and environmental policies. Our premise is that technical matters like these should be addressed by using Real Science (please consult WiseEnergy.org for more information).

A key element of AWED’s efforts is public education. Towards that end, every three weeks we put together a newsletter to balance what is found in the mainstream media about energy and the environment. We appreciate MasterResource for their assistance in publishing this information.

Some of the more important articles in this issue are:

The Greens’ Goal has Always Been to Make Renewable Energy Expensive

Combined-Cycle Natural Gas Power Beats Everything Else

The Levelized Cost of Electricity from Existing Generation Resources

Observations on the Alliance for Market Solutions’ ‘conservative’ case for a carbon tax

Economists Have Been “Useful Idiots” for the Green Socialists

Infrasound — a Growing Liability for Wind Energy

Study: Wind turbines kill 75% of nearby buzzards, hawks and kites

Energy solution hinges on better technology

Reforming State Utility Regulations

Farmland Owner (& MD) Encourages People NOT to Lease Wind Turbines

Solar intermittency: upbeat carbon reduction estimates miss the reality

Editorial: Governor Cuomo’s ‘renewable’ fiasco

The CO2 Hockey Stick

Why we do nothing to prepare for climate change

Study: Human CO2 Emissions Have Little Effect on Atmospheric CO2

Calling Climate Change ‘Catastrophic’ Isn’t Backed By Science

The Plan is No Plan: Why the GOP Shouldn’t Do Anything on Climate

Climate change has started to influence our language.…