In Memoriam, Thomas Roger DeGregori (1935–2025)
Tom DeGregori, professor emeritus of economics at the University of Houston whose work has been discussed on a few occasions on this blog, passed away a few days ago. Thousands of people knew him better than me (we only met twice), but he became an occasional correspondent nearly three decades ago after I had serendipitously come across his work on technological change on the bookshelves of the Université de Montréal while researching my doctoral dissertation.
I was hooked and tried to get my hands on anything he had published in defense of human creativity and material progress, including modern agriculture. At first my readings were limited to his articles in the Journal of Economic Issues and other academic outlets then available at my alma mater.…
“Scientists, engineers, and policymakers must reject symbolic solutions and focus on measurable, scalable, and scientifically robust strategies. Not all gases are equally dangerous, and not all solutions are equally wise.”
S.L. Cressey’s No Son, There Won’t Be a Hydrogen Economy is a sharp, data-driven critique of the growing hype surrounding hydrogen as a future energy source. The central argument of the book is clear and unwavering: while hydrogen may have limited industrial and aerospace applications, the broader vision of a global “hydrogen economy” is fundamentally flawed—technically, economically, and especially environmentally.
The hydrogen movement, in short, can be likened to “cargo cult science”—a term popularized by physicist Richard Feynman to describe efforts that mimic the appearance of scientific rigor without engaging with its foundational principles.
The book dispels the prospects of hydrogen as a miracle climate solution.…