“President Joe Biden’s closing argument before the midterm elections presents contradictory promises of driving down carbon emissions while increasing the supply of fossil fuels.”

“Biden hasn’t been invited to spread the message of his climate victory in swing states, even though people are already voting early or by mail.”

– E&E News (October 24, 2022)

From time to time MasterResource amplifies E&E News articles that call a spade a spade. A bit of realism in a sea of hyperbole about all things climate and energy is worth commemorating.

Scott Waldman’s “Biden Struggles to Sell Climate Win in Final Midterm Stretch” (October 24, 2022) exposes the contradictory themes of lowering oil prices and addressing climate concerns. The article shows a picture of Joe Biden (teleprompter hidden) speaking at the East Portland Community Center in Portland, Oregon, surely friendly ground.…

“What’s the point of setting goals which cannot be achieved? People call it aspirational. I call it delusional.” (V. Smil, below)

In an article filed under “climate crimes,” The Guardian claims that environmental nirvana is reachable if only politicians stop listening to Big Oil and start listening to social scientists. Author Amy Westervelt argues that the technology needed to achieve “net zero” carbon emissions is at hand; we just lack the will and the laws to implement it. She quotes from a recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC):

Factors limiting ambitious transformation [to address climate change] include structural barriers, an incremental rather than systemic approach, lack of coordination, inertia, lock-in to infrastructure and assets, and lock-in as a consequence of vested interests, regulatory inertia, and lack of technological capabilities and human resources.

MasterResource memorialized many of President Trump’s energy and climate speeches. Similarly, we will document major addresses by President Biden on the same subject. The policy activism outlined in Biden’s address below rivals that of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter in the annals of “crisis” legislating.

“Today is ‘Climate Day’ at the White House and — which means that today is ‘Jobs Day’ at the White House.  We’re talking about American innovation … the health of our families and cleaner water, cleaner air, and cleaner communities … national security and America leading the world in a clean energy future.”

“The first [executive] order I’m signing is tackling the climate crisis at home and abroad.”

– “Remarks by President Biden Before Signing Executive Actions on Tackling Climate Change, Creating Jobs, and Restoring Scientific Integrity” (January 27, 2021)

Good afternoon, everybody. …

” … although Trump was not a libertarian, was his philosophy in energy, environment, and regulation reasonably free market? Were the President’s motivations laudatory? Consumer-, entrepreneur-, and taxpayer-driven? I believe they were, outside of foreign trade policy with certain countries.”

I recently had this exchange with a ideological and personal friend, Richard Ebeling, BB&T Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Free Enterprise Leadership at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, about the civil war within the libertarian movement in regard to the Donald Trump presidency. Always there, the divide boiled over last week with Trump’s last stand. I was part of it.

After reviewing our exchange, I revisited many Trump-related posts here at MasterResource regarding energy, climate, and the environment. (Wednesday’s post will list approximately 30.) The question is: although Trump was not a libertarian, was his philosophy in this area reasonably free market, outside of foreign trade policy with certain countries?…