Trump's new energy chief thinks oil and gas are heroes in global poverty fight
Former oil company CEO Chris Wright‚ picked to lead US energy department‚ says fossil fuels will save poor nations. His views clash with climate scientists who say his ideas dont match current data
Chris Wright‚ an oil-company leader picked to run US energy department thinks burning more fossil fuels will help poor countries get rich - a view that makes climate experts shake their heads
Earlier this year (around feb) Wright released a company report saying climate change isnt such a big deal; poverty is the real enemy‚ and hydrocarbons are the solution. He started giving propane stoves to developing countries to prove his point
His ideas about energy dont match what most experts say. “Its terrifyingly absurd“ to think like this says Peter Reich from Michigan University: “People need water but that doesnt mean floods are good for your house“
Here are main things Wright doesnt like about current energy plans:
* Solar and wind power (says theyʼre not good enough)
* Rules that slow-down oil drilling
* Thinking of carbon-dioxide as bad for Earth
The report has some odd claims - like polar bears are doing great (theyʼre not)‚ and extreme weather isnt so bad anymore (tell that to 200-plus people who died in Hurricane Helene this fall)
The wealthy world has gone beyond over-optimism surrounding the breadth and scalability of a narrow slice of alternative energy
Morgan Bazilian from Colorado School of Mines thinks oil companies will be happy: they felt Biden was too hard on them. But he points out that Wrights old-school thinking ignores how cheap wind and solar have become; these could help poor countries too
