May 25, 2022·edited May 25, 2022Liked by Arjun Murti
Excellent video as always. Pardon the long comment but as an investor in this area I feel we owe it to ourselves to sort out the moral question of carbon emissions first and foremost, then, having a clear vision of where we stand on the energy transition, we can push back against poor policies and advocate for good ones - but it has to be done from a clear moral position, and that's very murky at the moment. The responses to the shareholders, while technically correct, still mostly cede the moral ground to climate activists (even the term 'climate activist' implies that that person is advocating on behalf of the climate, they are its legitimate representative, and that anyone who disagrees with them in some way does not care about the climate - this has been a huge mis-framing of the debate that needs to be clarified).
I almost think everyone writing about oil and gas today needs a vision statement that should accompany every post, something to frame the overall debate. Here are two things that I think we should all make completely clear every time we discuss energy investing/transition:
1. We all live on this earth and want to see it protected for our children and their children. None of us wants to see, or wants to downplay, the potential catastrophic effects of climate change. The big question is 'how' are we going to transition from fossil fuels, not whether we should or not.
2. Given that the energy transition will inevitably involve pain and great cost, what positive pathways and solutions can be taken so that the poorest people on the planet, the most vulnerable, don't end up getting hurt (i.e. energy insecurity and unaffordability). Note: you made the point about nuclear energy, this seems to be the only possible pathway, the anti-nuclear movement has seriously delayed the energy transition.
I would love a Super-Spiked deep dive on the moral aspects of energy!
Excellent video as always. Pardon the long comment but as an investor in this area I feel we owe it to ourselves to sort out the moral question of carbon emissions first and foremost, then, having a clear vision of where we stand on the energy transition, we can push back against poor policies and advocate for good ones - but it has to be done from a clear moral position, and that's very murky at the moment. The responses to the shareholders, while technically correct, still mostly cede the moral ground to climate activists (even the term 'climate activist' implies that that person is advocating on behalf of the climate, they are its legitimate representative, and that anyone who disagrees with them in some way does not care about the climate - this has been a huge mis-framing of the debate that needs to be clarified).
I almost think everyone writing about oil and gas today needs a vision statement that should accompany every post, something to frame the overall debate. Here are two things that I think we should all make completely clear every time we discuss energy investing/transition:
1. We all live on this earth and want to see it protected for our children and their children. None of us wants to see, or wants to downplay, the potential catastrophic effects of climate change. The big question is 'how' are we going to transition from fossil fuels, not whether we should or not.
2. Given that the energy transition will inevitably involve pain and great cost, what positive pathways and solutions can be taken so that the poorest people on the planet, the most vulnerable, don't end up getting hurt (i.e. energy insecurity and unaffordability). Note: you made the point about nuclear energy, this seems to be the only possible pathway, the anti-nuclear movement has seriously delayed the energy transition.
I would love a Super-Spiked deep dive on the moral aspects of energy!