The fossil fuel revolution that started in the Eighteen and Nineteenth Centuries was not planned by governments. It occurred because humans found fossil fuels useful in their daily lives. In later years fossil fuels made possible even more useful forms of energy generated using fossil fuels, particularly electricity. With assistance from increasing human ingenuity, the result is much of the modern developed world. The difference can be seen by comparing Western developed economies with those of less developed economies (LDCs) around the world where use of fossil fuels is still very limited.

The great desire by people in the LDCs to migrate to the Western economies shows that there is a great preference for modern developed economies, in substantial part made possible by their use of fossil fuels. Humans are even willing to endanger their own lives in order to enjoy these and other benefits of Western developed economies.

Using Fossil Fuels Has Proved a Win-win for both Humans and the Environment

It has always been unlikely that CO 2 emissions from burning fossil fuels would turn out to be an environmental problem given the very low CO 2 concentrations involved. But the big news is that it has now been shown that rather than creating a problem as the climate alarmists claim, the use of fossil fuels is actually a win-win situation for both humans and the environment, and that shifting to unreliable renewables is a loss for everyone except renewable equipment providers. Higher atmospheric CO 2 levels help plant growth. Improved human wealth from the use of fossil fuels means more concern and care for the environment, not less since people now have the time and resources to worry about such things. In most developed countries, especially the US, the conventional pollutants resulting from burning fossil fuels have been greatly controlled, so this is no longer a reason to oppose use of fossil fuels. Finally, the great alarmist inspired claim that more CO 2 will result in catastrophically higher temperatures has been shown to be false since there is no significant effect of increasing CO 2 on global temperatures.

All this is perhaps the best news that the modern fossil-fueled world could possibly have gotten. It means that the modern world can continue to grow and that people can live longer, better, and healthier lives as long as the opponents can keep the climate Luddites from imposing climate-inspired CO 2 emission controls. Yet the climate-industrial complex is determined to argue that this is not the case despite the scientific evidence to the contrary.

It is time to bring the climate alarmists’ nonsense to an end and not waste any more resources in trying to make fossil fuel energy more expensive and less reliable. It is time to get on with further expanding fossil fuel use for the benefit of both humans and the environment, particularly in the less developed world. Any other course of action would reduce human welfare, particularly at the expense of activities and people that cannot afford to pay greatly inflated energy prices for their immediate energy needs.