EnergyTradeoffs.com features conversations with scholars and experts whose work addresses the difficult tradeoffs associated with the green energy transition–tradeoffs between energy reliability, energy affordability, and the environmental impacts of energy production, as well as political and other tradeoffs.

Check out our latest

Conversations

A Just Energy Transition in Both the Old and New Energy Sectors (Joshua Busby, University of Texas; Morgan Bazilian, Colorado School of Mines; Dustin Mulvaney, San Jose State University)

Siting Wind Turbines (K.K. DuVivier, Sturm College of Law, University of Denver)

Oil & Gas Commissions as ‘Incidental’ Environmental Agencies (Tara Righetti, University of Wyoming College of Law)

Social Acceptance & Negative Emissions Technologies (Holly J. Buck, UCLA and University of Buffalo)

Cost Reductions vs. Value Loss in the Renewables Build-Out (Eric Hittinger, Rochester Institute of Technology)

Magic Numbers in the Climate Debate (Katharine Hayhoe, Climate Center & Professor of Pubic Policy at Texas Tech University)

Energy Infrastructure & Indigenous Communities (Guillermo Garcia Sanchez, Texas A&M University School of Law)

Restricting Energy Production & Flaring (James Coleman, SMU Dedman School of Law)

Renewable Natural Gas & a Decarbonized Energy Future (Michael Webber, University of Texas and ENGIE)

Energy News in Depth: Mission Possible: Reaching Net Zero

Different perspectives on tradeoffs & the energy transition.

Go to All Conversations

"The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the mind of other men and women; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which weighs their interests alongside its own without bias ..."

Learned Hand

"I think unconscious bias is one of the hardest things to get at."

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.”

Martin Luther King

“The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress.”

Joseph Joubert

“There will be disagreements in every society. The point is to have discussions with people with whom you disagree, trying to respect what other people are talking about, why they believe what they do — some way to find a common answer.”

Madeline Albright

“When our media was common, there was more common cause. Right now the architecture of our political space has voices telling you what you want because they’re also a filter of what you know.”

Stacey Abrams

"Since we can never know anything for sure, it is simply not worth searching for certainty; but it is well worth searching for truth; and we do this chiefly by searching for mistakes, so that we can correct them."

Karl Popper

“A lot of what's going on in the rejection of climate science is, 'I want to protect who I am. ... I want to protect what I've built."

Bob Inglis

“Culture puts pressures on individuals. They don’t make major decisions without consulting friends.”

Mary Douglas

“A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”

Herbert Simon

“Skepticism, constant inquiry, fallibilism, self-doubt--these don't mean not knowing. They mean knowing more all the time."

Adam Gopnik

“Increasingly, fights are simply about who has the standing to talk about certain issues, and not about the issues themselves. You can’t develop better ideas without debate. And you can’t win anyone to your side, which is the core goal of democratic politics, if you keep dismissing as a heretic anyone who disagrees with you, even at the margins.”

Kaveh Shahrooz

“I take it we are all in complete agreement on the decision here. Then, I propose we postpone further discussion of this matter until the next meeting to give ourselves time to develop disagreement, and perhaps gain some understanding of what the decision is all about.”

Alfred P. Sloan

"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest person to fool.”

Richard Feynman

“Conversations...begin with the sort of imaginative engagement you get when you read a novel or watch a movie or attend to a work of art that speaks from some place other than your own.”

Kwame Appiah

"In the Twitterverse, ideologues have far more power than moderates. They have more followers; their tweets get more traction ...; they set the terms of their neighborhood’s culture and tone."

Jennifer Senior

“If reporters swim ably along with the tides of social media and produce damaging reporting about public figures most disliked by the loudest voices, the old rules of fairness and open-mindedness can seem more like impediments than essential journalistic imperatives.”

Ben Smith

“One definition of a grown-up is someone who appreciates how little she can be sure of or dismiss. The surest way to be in the wrong is to assume with blind conviction you’re in the right.”

Pico Iyer

“Every person that’s been into space has thought of the fragility of our planet and how important it was to find ways to protect it. ... My great hope is that this 21st century will be the century in which [we] really start to understand our own planet and ... start to understand ourselves.”

Neil Armstrong

“ We live in an age that tends to favor quantity over quality, resulting in a glut of content about any given topic to satisfy an audience ever-hungry for big stories at whatever cost. ”

Peggy Drexler

“Were people to mingle only with those of like mind, every man would be an insulate being."

Thomas Jefferson

“No one is dumb who is curious.”

Neil deGrasse Tyson

“I prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual understanding of nature and of our own being.”

Albert Einstein

“Events today are driven by small numbers that can shame and intimidate large numbers. Social media has changed the dynamic. Even if most Americans practice excellent fire safety habits, if a small minority is rewarded for throwing lit matches, we’re going to live in an age of arson.”

Jonathan Haidt

“The filter bubble tends to dramatically amplify confirmation bias—in a way, it’s designed to. Consuming information that conforms to our ideas of the world is easy and pleasurable; consuming information that challenges us to think in new ways or question our assumptions is frustrating and difficult.”

Eli Pariser

“We must be clear in our own minds that we need other people to discover and correct our mistakes (as they need us); especially those people who have grown up with different ideas in a different environment. This too leads to toleration.”

Karl Popper

“The trouble with the world is not that people know too little; it's that they know so many things that just aren't so. ”

Mark Twain

“Politics is the organization of hatreds.”

Henry Adams

“When politicians start talking about large groups of their fellow Americans as 'enemies,' it's time for a quiet stir of alertness. Polarizing people is a good way to win an election, and also a good way to wreck a country.”

Molly Ivins

"A compass [will] point you True North from where you're standing, but it's got no advice about the swamps and desert and chasms that you'll encounter along the way. If in pursuit of your destination, you plunge ahead, heedless of obstacles, and achieve nothing more than to sink in a swamp... What's the use of knowing True North?"

Steven Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln’

Analysis

Lazard

New Levelized Costs of Energy Estimates

Analysis

Cheryl Lafleur

What Is Ailing California Electricity Markets?

Report

U.S. Senate Democrats

Blueprint For Climate Legislation

News - Regulation

Regulation

18 Attorneys General File Objections to EPA Benefit-Cost Rule

News - Pilot Project

Environmental Defense Fund

The Astra Project: A Methane Leakage Monitoring Network

Analysis

Sanya Carley and David Konisky in Nature Energy

The Justice and Equity Implications of the Clean Energy Transtiion

Sign Up For Monthly Site Updates

Other Good Sources of Information About Energy Tradeoffs:

Check out our latest

Conversations

"The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the mind of other men and women; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which weighs their interests alongside its own without bias ..."

"I think unconscious bias is one of the hardest things to get at."

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.”

“The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress.”

“There will be disagreements in every society. The point is to have discussions with people with whom you disagree, trying to respect what other people are talking about, why they believe what they do — some way to find a common answer.”

“When our media was common, there was more common cause. Right now the architecture of our political space has voices telling you what you want because they’re also a filter of what you know.”

"Since we can never know anything for sure, it is simply not worth searching for certainty; but it is well worth searching for truth; and we do this chiefly by searching for mistakes, so that we can correct them."

“A lot of what's going on in the rejection of climate science is, 'I want to protect who I am. ... I want to protect what I've built."

“Culture puts pressures on individuals. They don’t make major decisions without consulting friends.”

“A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”

“Skepticism, constant inquiry, fallibilism, self-doubt--these don't mean not knowing. They mean knowing more all the time."

“I take it we are all in complete agreement on the decision here. Then, I propose we postpone further discussion of this matter until the next meeting to give ourselves time to develop disagreement, and perhaps gain some understanding of what the decision is all about.”

"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest person to fool.”

“Conversations...begin with the sort of imaginative engagement you get when you read a novel or watch a movie or attend to a work of art that speaks from some place other than your own.”

"In the Twitterverse, ideologues have far more power than moderates. They have more followers; their tweets get more traction ...; they set the terms of their neighborhood’s culture and tone."

“If reporters swim ably along with the tides of social media and produce damaging reporting about public figures most disliked by the loudest voices, the old rules of fairness and open-mindedness can seem more like impediments than essential journalistic imperatives.”

“One definition of a grown-up is someone who appreciates how little she can be sure of or dismiss. The surest way to be in the wrong is to assume with blind conviction you’re in the right.”

“Every person that’s been into space has thought of the fragility of our planet and how important it was to find ways to protect it. ... My great hope is that this 21st century will be the century in which [we] really start to understand our own planet and ... start to understand ourselves.”

“ We live in an age that tends to favor quantity over quality, resulting in a glut of content about any given topic to satisfy an audience ever-hungry for big stories at whatever cost. ”

“Were people to mingle only with those of like mind, every man would be an insulate being."

“No one is dumb who is curious.”

“I prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual understanding of nature and of our own being.”

“Events today are driven by small numbers that can shame and intimidate large numbers. Social media has changed the dynamic. Even if most Americans practice excellent fire safety habits, if a small minority is rewarded for throwing lit matches, we’re going to live in an age of arson.”

“We must be clear in our own minds that we need other people to discover and correct our mistakes (as they need us); especially those people who have grown up with different ideas in a different environment. This too leads to toleration.”

“The trouble with the world is not that people know too little; it's that they know so many things that just aren't so. ”

“Politics is the organization of hatreds.”

“When politicians start talking about large groups of their fellow Americans as 'enemies,' it's time for a quiet stir of alertness. Polarizing people is a good way to win an election, and also a good way to wreck a country.”

Sign Up For Monthly Site Updates

Success! Thank you for signing up for the latest news regarding energytradeoffs.com!

Sponsors

Other Good Sources of Information About Energy Tradeoffs: