Energy for the 21st Century: A Declaration of Guiding Principles

In this paper, Mark Mills and Scott Tinker set out why affordable energy is foundational for civilisation. Lifting people out of poverty, ensuring human flourishing, pursuing innovation, achieving energy security, and balancing the need for affordable and reliable energy while protecting the environment are all vital goals.

Energy Delusions: Peak Oil Forecasts

For decades, the International Energy Agency (IEA) was the world’s gold standard for energy information and credible analyses. Following the commitment of its member governments to the 2015 Paris Agreement climate accords, the agency radically changed its mission to become a promoter of an energy transition. In 2022, the IEA’s governing board reinforced its mission…

Electric Vehicles for Everyone? The Impossible Dream

A dozen U.S. states, from California to New York, have joined dozens of countries, from Ireland to Spain, with plans to ban the sale of new cars with an internal combustion engine (ICE), many prohibitions taking effect within a decade. Meanwhile, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in a feat of regulatory legerdemain, has proposed…

The “Energy Transition” Delusion: A Reality Reset

Global economies are facing a potential energy shock—the third such shock of the past half century. Energy costs and security have returned to center stage, as has the realization that the world remains deeply dependent on reliable supplies of petroleum, natural gas, and coal. And all this has arrived during an inflation itself partially the…

Industrial Policy: Old-Think in the New Cloud Era

Policymakers and pundits are increasingly claiming that this country needs an “industrial policy.” Although this is far from a new idea, topline statistics give it surface plausibility. In 1980, the U.S. had a 30% share of global manufacturing; today, it has slipped to 16%.

Mines, Minerals, and “Green” Energy: A Reality Check

As policymakers have shifted focus from pandemic challenges to economic recovery, infrastructure plans are once more being actively discussed, including those relating to energy. Green energy advocates are doubling down on pressure to continue, or even increase, the use of wind, solar power, and electric cars. Left out of the discussion is any serious consideration…