People Over Climate

Here's an idea.

Instead of spending trillions of dollars trying to slightly lower global temperatures in a hundred years, let's first spend a fraction to save millions of lives right now.

Every year, we use more energy than the year before.

Why? Because energy makes the world better.

It keeps us cool in summer and warm in winter, transports us, and lights the world.

Energy allows us to escape poverty.

We increasingly get electricity from solar and wind.

But of all energy, not just electricity, solar and wind contributed less than 3% in 2024.

More than 80% of our energy comes from fossil fuels — coal, oil, and natural gas.

Even by 2050, according to the International Energy Agency, solar and wind will provide less than 16%.

Yet, living on planet Earth is getting safer and cleaner.

Over the past century, deaths from climate-related disasters — storms, floods, droughts, and wildfires — have declined by more than 97%.

This has nothing to do with climate and everything to do with development and innovation.

Many more people have access to air conditioning, better housing, and advanced weather warning systems.

There's also been great progress in reducing air and water pollution.

When Earth Day debuted in the 1970s, the world faced grim challenges.

Highly polluted rivers catching fire and cities choking on smog, especially in the industrialized West.

Today, those cities are dramatically cleaner, and the risk of dying from air pollution has declined by 70% in three decades.

Pollution is mostly a product of poverty.

90% of air pollution deaths are in low- and middle-income countries.

But prosperity means people can afford to improve their environment.

In these countries, air pollution death risk has nearly halved since 1990.

Almost none of this resulted from the trillions spent on green energy.

If you want a better world for the environment — cleaner air and water, more forests — encourage the whole world to break free of poverty.

And if you want a world better for people — less disease, hunger, and better education — again, encourage the whole world to break free of poverty.