Alex Epstein is an American author and commentator. He is the founder and president of the Center for Industrial Progress, a for-profit think-tank located in California. He has written three books, which focus on the “benefits” of fossil fuels. He was a former fellow of the Ayn Rand Institute, an organization that received funding from the Koch Foundations.
On Climate Change
The Washington Post wrote an essay in 2022 titled “Alex Epstein promotes fossil fuels for poor nations he once disparaged”. The article quotes Epstein’s claims that “the shift to clean energy is ‘immoral’ because it denies developing countries the cheap electricity needed to lift people out of poverty.” The piece cites many critics who question whether Epstein’s claims come from a “‘moral’ concern for developing nations or a cynical attempt to promote the use of oil, coal and natural gas.”
The Post notes Epstein’s claims that “‘there are huge positives’ to rising temperature.” Epstein also offered payment to prominent climate change scientists to “publicly debate him.” In one debate with Andrew Dessler, an atmospheric sciences professor, Epstein commented after the debate that “with [carbon dioxide] you get that, yeah, it has a warming impact. But even some of that is good, and there’s nothing resembling a catastrophe.”
As for the Washington Post’s research into the Center for Industrial Progress, while it notes that their funding sources are not publicly available, Epstein has said that “If there’s an oil company who wants to fight for their freedom, then they might come to us.”
See Also
Climate of Denial