When I left the (traditional) Catholic Church after Francis showed his climate colors my priest asked me did I not believe in climate change? He mentioned an island in the pacific that was sinking due to rising oceans. When I got home I did a little digging into that particular claim. It turned out that the island in question had for decades been pulling fresh water out of its ground. This was causing salt water intrusion and loss of land mass and THAT was why it was “sinking”. Nature abhors a vacuum apparently. Who knew?
The real problem we have today is intellectual poverty in the West. Only a technological illiterate could believe that today's world could function with intermittent electricity, or that the intermittency could be cured with batteries. Pope Francis for all his erudition did not understand how his world worked from a physical perspective.
In days gone by, educated people understood how their horse-drawn world worked because it wasn't too difficult to understand. In today's world, not so much, largely because our education system has failed to keep pace with the technology that is a necessary part of our world. I don't suggest that everyone should be taught the principles of engineering, but they should be taught how important electricity is to our civilization and where it comes from. Look at Germany and Britain to see the effects of technological illiteracy in the ruling classes.
Your article was well written and on the mark, Robert. I will do my best to get a copy of it into the Sistine Chapel before the enclave for the election of the new pope begins. I am not counting on being successful , but maybe we can get a sympathetic cleric to assist in getting your commonsensical ideas into the correspondence reviewed by the leadership of the church. Then, it will be up to the Lord to inspire the leaders of the church to rationally defend the energy situation of the world’s poor. You did a great job by defining the importance of the issue!
Perhaps if the next pope reads publications such as this or the work of the Green Chicken then he might actually have gratitude to hydrocarbons and not misguided disdain.
Also... I have run through just the HIV grants in USA spending and thought "what if we just spent this on power plants in Africa? How many more lives do we save?"
Well stated. Thank you. I admit to having some unkind thoughts when I heard this Pope had passed. I like the way you put it much better than my mental "eulogy".
well done! thank you sir. "championed the poor while favoring ideas that keep them poor.” That phrase describes, in less than 10 words, today's climate movement.
Robert, with every post you produce, I become more aware of things I simply did not know. I applaud your effort, your consistent factual work, and most of all your purposeful and pointed objective. Please continue to produce the work that I personally so often cite as the source of intelligent discourse between those who advocate an 'emotional' support of green energy ... and the rest of us.
When I left the (traditional) Catholic Church after Francis showed his climate colors my priest asked me did I not believe in climate change? He mentioned an island in the pacific that was sinking due to rising oceans. When I got home I did a little digging into that particular claim. It turned out that the island in question had for decades been pulling fresh water out of its ground. This was causing salt water intrusion and loss of land mass and THAT was why it was “sinking”. Nature abhors a vacuum apparently. Who knew?
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/28/maga-catholics-vatican-pope-conclave?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Brilliant article. Mr. Bryce has been a powerful advocate of smart energy policy for decades and I consider him a national treasure.
FYI https://open.substack.com/pub/stevenstaples/p/the-popes-final-message?r=1uy7bt&utm_medium=ios
Amen.
The real problem we have today is intellectual poverty in the West. Only a technological illiterate could believe that today's world could function with intermittent electricity, or that the intermittency could be cured with batteries. Pope Francis for all his erudition did not understand how his world worked from a physical perspective.
In days gone by, educated people understood how their horse-drawn world worked because it wasn't too difficult to understand. In today's world, not so much, largely because our education system has failed to keep pace with the technology that is a necessary part of our world. I don't suggest that everyone should be taught the principles of engineering, but they should be taught how important electricity is to our civilization and where it comes from. Look at Germany and Britain to see the effects of technological illiteracy in the ruling classes.
Your article was well written and on the mark, Robert. I will do my best to get a copy of it into the Sistine Chapel before the enclave for the election of the new pope begins. I am not counting on being successful , but maybe we can get a sympathetic cleric to assist in getting your commonsensical ideas into the correspondence reviewed by the leadership of the church. Then, it will be up to the Lord to inspire the leaders of the church to rationally defend the energy situation of the world’s poor. You did a great job by defining the importance of the issue!
Thank you.
Perhaps if the next pope reads publications such as this or the work of the Green Chicken then he might actually have gratitude to hydrocarbons and not misguided disdain.
Love it. We can call them the Epistles of Doomberg to the Holy See.
Also... I have run through just the HIV grants in USA spending and thought "what if we just spent this on power plants in Africa? How many more lives do we save?"
Robert... this one needs the paywall removed. Golf clap awesome.
Well stated. Thank you. I admit to having some unkind thoughts when I heard this Pope had passed. I like the way you put it much better than my mental "eulogy".
well done! thank you sir. "championed the poor while favoring ideas that keep them poor.” That phrase describes, in less than 10 words, today's climate movement.
Great post Robert!
Thank you.
Robert, with every post you produce, I become more aware of things I simply did not know. I applaud your effort, your consistent factual work, and most of all your purposeful and pointed objective. Please continue to produce the work that I personally so often cite as the source of intelligent discourse between those who advocate an 'emotional' support of green energy ... and the rest of us.
Thanks very much. I'm doing my best.
I'm not religious but if I was I'd say the pope was possessed by the spirit of Hugo Chavez.
Ouch.
His views on energy were always a contradiction to his religious convictions to help the poor.
It was mind boggling to us that he could not see that.
You were way more diplomatic than one member of the team. We'll leave it at that.
Great post, Robert.
Thanks very much, 'mental.