Power Hour with Alex Epstein

Green Energy vs. Recovery, Obama’s Climate Fixation vs. Pandemic Preparedness

04.09.2020 - By Alex EpsteinPlay

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On this week's Power Hour I cover 3 big topics:

1: Why green energy mandates would be a death blow to economic recovery

Many political officials are pushing for various green energy mandates, such as the Wind Production Tax Credit, to be part of “phase 4” of the COVID-19 response. In the first segment of this week’s Power Hour I explain why the worst thing we can do at this stage is dramatically increase the price of energy, which would have the “death blow” effects of 1) decreasing American productivity and 2) increasing consumer prices.

I offer a very different approach, energy freedom—including the decriminalization of nuclear energy.

2: Obama draws exactly the wrong lesson on pandemic preparedness

Former President Barack Obama recently tweeted the following to great acclaim.

"We've seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic. We can't afford any more consequences of climate denial. All of us, especially young people, have to demand better of our government at every level and vote this fall."

On the second segment of this week’s Power Hour I explain why this is the wrong lesson, and look at how Obama’s and others’ “climate change fixation” took their eye off pandemic response and other urgent priorities.

3: What is our COVID-19 goal?

In the final segment of this week’s Power Hour, I ask: What is our COVID-19 goal? Is it to eradicate COVID-19 or to manage it? In my view most political officials keep switching between these two goals, leading to mass confusion and unnecessary destruction. I make the case that given the reality of COVID-19 today our goal should definitely be intelligent management and that the eradication goal is doing incredible unnecessary harm.

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