Taking an unpopular position on the polarized topic, Michael Shellenberger tackles the pressing issue of environmental alarmism, which can breed anxiety rather than spur rational action on climate change. Through nuanced analysis of high-profile incidents like the Amazon fires and factors influencing species conservation, this short dispels apocalyptic rhetoric. Instead, he advocates for pragmatic, evidence-based policies that balance economic progress with sustainability. Touching on themes from renewable energy limitations to the complex political economy surrounding climate change, Shellenberger champions an environmental humanism focused on feasible solutions for developing nations. Ultimately, the author proposes a balanced perspective on bridging divides to drive collaborative advancement, paving a thoughtful path beyond polarization toward a more constructive future.
Michael Shellenberger is an author and environmental policy expert who focuses extensively on energy and climate change issues. He has over two decades of experience in the environmental policy field, previously serving as president of the Breakthrough Institute which he co-founded, and currently serving as founder and president of Environmental Progress. Shellenberger is known for his pragmatic perspective on balancing climate goals with energy reliability and affordability, and has authored several books and articles advocating for an "ecomodernist" approach to environmental progress that embraces technological solutions such as nuclear power. His writings challenge conventional thinking on renewable energy limitations and aim to offer alternative environmental policy proposals.
If you liked this book, you'll probably like these books as well.

Barry Smith, Jobst Landgrebe
Artificial general intelligence cannot be achieved, because computers cannot be trained on infinite variance.
24:05 min

Arthur Jensen
Multiple intelligences and environmental determinism? You've been sold a bag of goods.
40:30 min

Lee Alan Dugatkin
A fox domestication experiment offers clues to the genetic basis of human social evolution.
18:23 min

Robert Sapolsky
Human behavior reflects biological and social influences working across microseconds and millennia.
19:28 min

Matthew Walker
Every living being evolved to sleep — can humans survive the sleeplessness of modernity?
14:18 min

Peter Attia
We have the power to extend our lives — if we make the right choices.
18:02 min

Heiner Rindermann
Understand the relationship between cognitive capital and human capital.
14:08 min

Thomas Kuhn
The road to scientific progress blinds us to inconvenient truths.
19:55 min

Jonathan Haidt
Safetyism and digital isolation is mentally crippling the next generations.
20:28 min

Richard Dawkins
Nature's apparent complex and purposeful design is only explained by one miraculous process.
20:06 min

Stuart Russell
If we aren't careful, we could subordinate to AI much like gorillas have to us.
19:50 min

Jonathan Anomaly
Human genetic enhancement is here, and it's time to confront the moral questions it raises.
13:59 min

Charles Murray
Addressing intelligence may be scary, but not addressing it is even scarier.
26:37 min

David Reich
Ironically, ancient DNA provides the answers to our long-standing, modern day quandaries.
20:47 min

Robert Plomin
Embracing the power of our genes sets the stage for a global renaissance.
21:26 min