Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby’s most recent column exposes the cynical tactics of the fossil fuel divestment movement. As Mr. Jacoby explains, divestment activists can’t get away with pressuring people to give up the energy and products of modern life (electricity, computers, central air) so they instead attempt to demonize the men and women who work for natural gas, oil, and coal companies.
Below is an excerpt from Mr. Jacoby’s column:
The rise of fossil fuels has led to dramatic gains in human progress — whether that progress is measured in terms of life expectancy, income, education, health, sanitation, transportation, or leisure. Nearly everything that is comfortable and convenient about modern civilization depends on the ready availability of energy, and nearly 90 percent of our energy comes from oil, gas, and coal. Pro-divestment activists know better than to push people to give up electricity, air travel, computers, or central heating — all of which would vanish without the fossil fuel industry. Instead they demonize the industry, reasoning that it will be easier to turn Big Oil into a pariah than to convince the public to abandon its cars and smartphones.
To read the rest of the column, click here.