Image from DeSmogUK
In a (thankfully)
paywalled oped in the London Times,
#MattKingCoal Ridley attacks the fossil fuel divestment movement with the usual set of misleading talking points, focusing on the microeconomic issues and ignoring the larger social goals of the movement.
To his defense, Ridley does mention that he has "a commercial relationship with a coal company" before claiming that—since the company is not public—it won't be hurt by divestment. What Ridley's oped conspicuously fails to mention is that the real goal of divestment is to revoke the social license for fossil fuel firms to operate. Given this, it's no surprise Ridley doesn't mention that he actually stands to lose an estimated £20m should divestment be successful. This is because divestment is really about society demanding we leave all fossil fuels in the ground. With this goal, most of Ridley's points are rendered moot. What remains is a disingenuous plea for the poor and a debunked notion that warming to 2°C won't be so bad.
His desire for the poor to have fossil fuels ignores the health impacts, as pointed out in a edifying new NYT interview: "When coal is burned to produce electricity it produces pollution that kills more than 10,000 Americans each year, and more than a quarter million Chinese."
Ridley concludes by asking a rhetorical question rich with unintended irony: "Where is the morality in hurting today's poor people for the sake of these distant plutocrats?"
Indeed, Mr. Ridley, where is the morality in telling poor people they need fossil fuels—which kill them by the thousands—all for the sake of padding the pockets of already wealthy owners like yourself?
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