Power Hour with Alex Epstein

Alex Epstein interviews Maxwell Goldberg, an entrepreneur and industrial analyst, about our little-known dependence on China for dozens of materials that modern life requires. They cover topics including: - How Maxwell got interested in this issue at such a young age. - Just how dependent the US is on China. - China’s proven track record of exploiting its control of the “rare earths” supply chain - China’s goal - The sincerity of China’s “net-zero” by 2060 pledge - What policy changes are necessary Maxwell (Max) Goldberg is an industrialist and investor developing materials, manufacturing, and industrial companies, products, and services. In 2021 Max is focused on investing in and acquiring United States based manufacturing companies and helping United States industrial businesses dissect “where stuff comes from”, particularly the critical minerals and value-added-commodity-products that are ubiquitous throughout their value chains. Max is an engineer by training, with a B.S. in Materials Engineering and and M.S. in Manufacturing Systems Engineering, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since 2018, Max has hosted the Next Frontier Podcast, a show devoted to understanding how innovation resources enable industrialists and entrepreneurs to innovate faster than ever before. Max formerly worked as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence for Dr. Peter Diamandis, executing technical due diligence and business development across the XPRIZE Foundation, Singularity University, Bold Capital Partners, Fountain Therapeutics, and Peter’s recent book launch. His website is https://maxwellgoldberg.com/

Alex interviews Michael Lynch, the renowned debunker of “peak oil,” to discuss Lynch’s new essay on “peak oil demand”—the idea that the post-pandemic world will mean “the end of oil.” https://eprinc.org/2021/02/the-pandemic-and-the-end-of-oil-the-pandemic-peak-oil-demand-and-the-oil-industry-by-michael-lynch-and-ivan-sandrea/ In this interview they cover: false past predictions of a green future, the real economics of EV batteries, what post-pandemic culture will look like, how much oil exists in the world, and much more.

Alex brings on Steve Milloy, a fellow green energy whistleblower and creator of JunkScience.com, to discuss the massive power outages in Texas and how they were brought about by “green energy” policies. They also discuss the failure of green energy around the world this winter. Near the end of the show Alex asks Steve about his remarkable success countering “ESG” efforts and his views on the recently-publicized “fossil fuels cause 1 in 5 deaths” claim.

On this week’s Power Hour Alex Epstein shares a recent interview of him by Heidi McKillop, a Candian filmmaker who went from an opponent of the Candian oil and gas industry to a champion of it. This is his first wide-ranging interview in many months. He shares new thoughts on the world of energy including how to think about our environment, how to stand up to the anti-fossil fuel movement, and the miracle of “machine labor.”

Alex Epstein interviews Yaron Brook about the origins, rise, and unprecedented power of today’s anti-fossil fuel ESG movement in investing. They cover: - Larry Fink’s latest influential letter - The shareholder value theory of the purpose of a corporation - What’s wrong with the “stakeholder value” theory of the purpose of a corporation - How government coercion increases the power of the ESG movement - How the culture gives the ESG movement most of its power - What companies can do to fight back against the anti-fossil fuel ESG movement? Yaron Brook is a former finance professor, an investor, Executive Chairman of the Ayn Rand Institute, and host of The Yaron Brook Show.

Meredith Angwin, author of 'Shorting the Grid', shares her insights on the fragility of today's electric grid. She debunks the myth of competition in the grid and critiques how deregulation has led to higher costs. Angwin explains the inefficient workings of Regional Transmission Organizations and the concerning reliance on oil during cold snaps. With a passion for nuclear energy, she discusses potential policies for improvement and how individuals can advocate for a more reliable electricity system.

On this week’s Power Hour Alex Epstein interviews Professor Pierre Desrochers of the University of Toronto, about the history of environmental catastrophism, including but not limited to climate catastrophism. Today we are told that our use of fossil fuels is causing a global environmental catastrophe, and that the solution is for government to dictate what kind of energy we should use, namely solar and wind. Both this prediction and this policy, we are told, are the conclusions of the best experts, especially environmental experts like climate scientists, and thus should not be questioned. Pierre Desrochers explodes this idea by chronicling in depth the track record of our designated environmental experts. For more on the history of environmental catastrophism, read Population Bombed, which Professor Desrochers wrote with collaborator Joanna Szurmak.

On this episode of Power Hour Alex Epstein interviews energy/environment researcher Rupert Darwall, author of The Age of Global Warming and Green Tyranny, on why the corporate “net-zero” movement is unscientific and suicidal. Here’s some of what they cover: - Where the net-zero-by-2050 and its accompanying 1.5 degrees C target came from. Hint: It’s not a scientific origin. - How even small steps toward “net-zero” are harming citizens and industry in the UK. - The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s) religious focus on minimizing human impact on the planet instead of maximizing human flourishing on the planet. - How the IPCC evades the amazing improvement in human life over the past two centuries and fossil fuels’ fundamental role in it. - How the IPCC doesn’t seriously address the costs of net-zero policies. - Why certain elements of Wall Street find “net-zero“ so compelling.

On this week’s Power Hour, Alex Epstein interviews one of his mentors, philosopher Onkar Ghate, on how the fossil fuel industry can fight for its freedom (far) more effectively by standing up for itself as a matter of justice. Some of the questions discussed include: - Why is it so powerful to fight on grounds of justice? - What should people in the fossil fuel industry consider unjust about the way they’re treated? - What kind of justice should the fossil fuel industry demand? - How should the fossil fuel industry act in the political world? - How should the fossil fuel industry interact with the media? - How should the fossil fuel industry act in the corporate/ESG world? - What can we learn from Ayn Rand’s success in winning people over to the cause of economic freedom?

On this week’s Power Hour Alex Epstein interviews international energy economist Anas Alhajji about the future of energy and energy security.   They cover: - What factors affect energy security - How overreliance on electricity is a threat to energy security - The future of competition with the global oil industry using solar, wind, and batteries - The future of competition within the global oil industry, including US shale, OPEC, and Russia - The contradictions of the modern environmental movement