Published December 16, 2020
In the 1800s, oil from whales led to demand that drove its population almost to extinction. Commercial interest in whaling only declined when oil was found in Pennsylvania. History shows us that innovation, not good intentions, will be the key to overcoming climate change.
This video’s audio is excerpted from Bjorn Lomborg’s lecture “Smarter Climate Change Policy” from the Hoover Institution Summer Policy Boot Camp.
Additional Resources:
Articles
Writing in this magazine a year ago, we compared Russia’s oil-and-gas industry to a dinosaur, “big, rapacious, and dying off.” Energy sanctions against Russia and the country’s own missteps in managing its energy industry during its war against Ukraine were delivering a downfall that, we wrote, “the U.S. has been trying to make…happen for decades.”
October 27, 2026
Articles
Any Sino-American conflict would place enormous pressure on fuel supplies. U.S. fuel dependence turns Manila’s energy fragility into a strategic vulnerability.
October 22, 2026
Articles
[Subscription Required] Metals and some plastics are worth separating, but the rest of it is costly and can hurt the environment.
October 7, 2026
