Michael Shellenberger, an author and environmental writer, covers energy, nuclear power, homelessness, drugs, and critiques of climate activism on Substack.
HN commenters cite his posts on Sri Lanka's fertilizer ban and homelessness, and recommend his nuclear power TED talk; one commenter's wording about activists is sharply critical.
One-third of Sri Lanka’s farm lands were dormant in 2021 due to the fertilizer ban. Over 90% of Sri Lanka’s farmers had used chemical fertilizers before they were banned. After they were banned, an astonishing 85% experienced crop losses.
The numbers are shocking. After the fertilizer ban, rice production fell 20% and prices skyrocketed 50 percent in just six months. Sri Lanka had to import $450 million worth of rice despite having been self-sufficient in the grain just months earlier. The price of carrots and tomatoes rose five-fold.
While there are just 2 million farmers in Sri Lanka, 15 million of the country’s 22 million people are directly or indirectly dependent on farming.
This article should give you the context and data points showing you do not have all the information
https://michaelshellenberger.substack.com/p/green-dogma-behind-fall-of-sri-lanka
There's a whole prepackaged narrative for right wing types about drug harm reducement being so bad it's counterproductive.
Example headlines:
Why We Must Arrest Drug Addicts
This is revealing as to where they are coming from:
> People who want to kill themselves in the privacy of their own homes by smoking fentanyl should be free to do so. But people who use drugs, camp publicly, and break other laws stemming from their addictions, such as shoplifting, should be arrested.
And a big part of it is lying about how other countries deal with drugs to try to paint liberal American cities in a bad light.
https://michaelshellenberger.substack.com/p/why-we-must-arrest-drug-addicts
https://michaelshellenberger.substack.com/p/netherlands-goes-nuclear-in-massive
Holland is building two new reactors, and
'Energy and electricity prices are at record levels due to Europe’s over-reliance on renewables, inadequate supplies of nuclear energy, and shortages of oil and gas due to under-investment in oil and gas exploration and production. Carbon emissions in Germany rose 25% in the first half of 2020 due in large part to a 25% decline in wind, underscoring the unreliable nature of weather-dependent renewables. In response, both France and Britain have promised a major expansion of nuclear energy.'
Very turbulent times in EU energy markets.
When you’ve got a Head of Homeless Services who see the homeless as a part of class warfare you realize they don’t want the problem fixed. They’re fighting capitalism by making the problem bigger, not smaller.
“Why do they do it? Radical anti-system ideology. “There’s a San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness hat which says, ‘Coalition on Homelessness: On The Frontlines of Class Warfare,’” said the insider. “They feel like they’re fighting class warfare. They tell people to not take shelter.””
https://michaelshellenberger.substack.com/p/san-francisco-homeless-insider-tells
Michael Shellenberger's TED talk from 2017, "Why I changed my mind about nuclear power", is still relevant:
https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_shellenberger_why_i_changed_my_mind_about_nuclear_power
He also has a great Substack where he writes on a variety of topics, including nuclear power. He just wrote an article titled "Nations Go Nuclear As Prices Spike & Renewables Fail" that is timely: https://michaelshellenberger.substack.com/p/nations-go-nuclear-as-prices-spike
You're not wrong.
Apparently activists of this variety tend to be highly narcissistic, with movements that engage in highly ineffective, yet high publicity activities like this being deeply attractive to these types.
https://michaelshellenberger.substack.com/p/infantilization-of-the-apocalypse