Transportation Secretary
Pete Buttigieg
just got heckled and branded “
Petro Pete
” by leftist protesters in Baltimore for (get this) not being hostile enough to the oil industry. This is just the latest in a string of
protests
about climate change, be it blocking roads to Burning Man or gluing oneself to a classical painting.
The targets these days are not just oil companies or center-right politicians, but even those who appear to be political allies of the green movement. It could mark the next stage of this conflict, heavy on anti-Western and anti-industrial rhetoric.
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Regardless of the rhetoric about the decadent and polluting West, in the past two decades, carbon dioxide emissions from the United States declined by a fifth, and a similar trend can be observed in the European Union. Meanwhile China has
tripled
its carbon dioxide output and now emits more than the U.S. and EU combined.
Another rising powerhouse, India, has also nearly tripled its carbon dioxide emissions, suggesting that it is not going to slow down any time soon.
Admittedly China and India have large populations, but the data for carbon dioxide emissions per capita tell a similar story. U.S. carbon dioxide emissions per capita are approaching half of what they used to be, while per capita emissions tripled in China and doubled in India.
To be fair, U.S. emissions per capita are double that of China, but the trend is clear: The U.S. and Europe could deindustrialize back to the Stone Age, and global carbon dioxide emissions would likely continue to rise. Why climate protesters from Sweden are lecturing in New York, but not Beijing, is a mystery.
Deindustrialization is one of the ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and it is a dream of some eco-warriors. But there are two serious points to consider.
First, carbon dioxide emissions of a heavily industrialized country in a relatively cool climate are likely to be higher than those of a tourist-oriented tropical island nation. It’s easier to tout “carbon neutrality” or “100% renewable” when you mix margaritas rather than smelt steel.
Second (and this is good news), carbon dioxide intensity per gross domestic product created
continues to fall
in the West and China, which means we emit less and less carbon dioxide per unit of wealth created — probably because technology is getting more efficient and non-energy intensive sectors have been creating more wealth in the past 20 years.
Even if you care about the climate, there is no need to trade your internal combustion car for a chariot. Technological progress and free markets will provide better solutions (e.g. Teslas).
The COVID-19 lockdowns showed very well what happens after a rapid and radical cessation of economic activity. Carbon dioxide emissions fell significantly, followed by dropoffs in production and GDP. (The reductions in GDP would have been even larger if not for government splurging.) Remember
the pictures
of canals clearing up in Venice, Italy? That is what happens when everyone is locked down at home.
Barring more shutdowns, even with the growth of renewables, the world will continue to use a lot of energy. The demonization of oil, gas, and even nuclear energy is counterproductive and illogical, and it leads to problems rather than solutions.
Germany is a perfect case: Not only are Germans pursuing an ambitious reduction of oil and gas, but they are also closing down nuclear power plants at the same time. As a result, what used to be called the “Engine of Europe” is now the “
Sick Man of Europe
.”
Indeed, there is a lot of inconsistency and hypocrisy across the entire continent. Europeans are very much against shale gas and fracking in Europe, but they love burning American natural gas.
The U.S. is not without its illogicalities. On one hand, there seems to be a bipartisan consensus for the reindustrialization of America. On the other hand, the government creates an endless string of hurdles, such as its ban on oil drilling on federal lands.
This goes beyond the vilified oil and gas industries. China is a leader in rare earths production not because rare earths deposits are concentrated in China, but because they are willing to devote resources and space for extraction. Companies in the U.S. could do the same,
as they once did
, if not for endless environmental regulations.
It is hard to reindustrialize if you make it unnecessarily difficult to drill, extract, smelt, and build.
The bottom line is that domestic energy industries, including oil and gas, are necessary, regardless of whether you are building a “Fortress America” or a “Green America.” No amount of chants or protests will change that.
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Zilvinas Silenas is the president of the Foundation for Economic Education.
