Now revised and updated--from the New York Times bestselling author, a contrarian cost-benefit analysis that will make you question everything you thought you knew about fossil fuels. For decades we've been told that using fossil fuels is a self-destructive addiction that will destroy our planet. Yet at the same time, life has been getting better and better by every measure of human well-being, from access to clean water to climate safety. How can this be? In this timely and necessary book, energy expert Alex Epstein argues that we've only heard one side of the story. Today's climate activists and environmental pundits focus solely on the side effects of fossil fuels but completely ignore their unique ability to provide cheap, reliable energy for a world of seven billion people. Drawing on original insights and cutting-edge research, Epstein shows that most of what we've been told about fossil fuels is a myth. For instance... Myth: Fossil fuels are making the climate unlivable. Truth: Fossil fuels haven't taken a naturally safe climate and made it dangerous; they've taken a naturally dangerous climate and made it safer than ever.Myth: Solar and wind can replace fossil fuels.Truth: Sun and wind are unreliable and always need backup from a reliable source - almost always fossil fuels. Myth Fossil fuels are hurting the developing world.Truth Fossil fuels are the key to improving the quality of life for billions of people in the developing world--including their ability to adapt to a changing climate. Now fully updated with the latest data and addressing recent controversies from "peak oil demand" to the Green New Deal, The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels is sure to challenge your assumptions.


Alex Epstein is an energy philosopher who argues that ＂human flourishing＂ should be the guiding principle of industrial and environmental progress. His book The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels became a New York Times bestseller and was widely praised, winning him the ＂Most Original Thinker of 2014＂ award from The McLaughlin Group. He speaks around the world and has publicly debated leading environmentalist organizations such Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, and 350.org over the morality of fossil fuel use.