Suggestions for a Follow-Up

Mr. Bernstein’s favorable profile of Nawaf al-Sabah ’94 was informative. However, I found the title of the article — “Pariah or Partner?” — a warning of climate hysteria to come. As we learned at Princeton, language is also subtextual.

While this well written article thankfully avoided Greta-speak, the inclusion of words such as mushroom cloud, planet wreckers, greenwashing, and the aforementioned pariah made the article appear a bit biased.

The article would be more compelling if it had also cited additional sources supporting al-Sabah’s claim that fossil fuels will be with us for a long time as the global demand for electricity soars, and therefore requiring adaptation, not banning. This accomplished journalist might have conversed with professor of physics emeritus Will Happer *64, who could have called on his friend 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics winner John Clauser, or another CO2 Coalition board member, Patrick Moore, an early environmental activist with Greenpeace.

Outside the Princeton sphere one could find many sources (including Obama-era EPA administrators) to support the obvious reality that any draconian U.S. efforts to decarbonize would be expensive and futile due to China, India, and developing countries’ desire to increase their prosperity. The Cornwall Alliance has material on the present harm to the global poor as we deny them cheap electricity as they mine and produce renewables. Do we have enough material for a follow-up, Mr. Bernstein?