We can master our environment. And this has made us demonstrably 50 times safer from climate-related disaster deaths like storm deaths and flood deaths, than we used to be. And yet nobody’s talking about these benefits. So you have this incredible set of benefits.

That’s the progress that makes the world a better place, because the more knowledge you have and the more capabilities you have, the more you can create more of what is good for you, and less of what isn’t. That’s what you do, you have an increasing mastery over nature. And so whatever you like in non-human nature, by the way, you can have more of that. So it’s the more wealthy and more capable you are, the more you can preserve the most beautiful species you care about, the more you can travel to enjoy them. So it’s really, I reject the idea that the world is scarce in resources and then us impacting it makes it worse. I think in general it has unlimited potential resources, because resources are just matter and energy that we transform to be useful. Aluminum wasn’t a resource. Oil wasn’t a resource. Coal wasn’t a resource. Gas wasn’t a resource. Uranium wasn’t a resource. We made the resources. We can do that with more and more things.

So I think of it as we have the capability to make the world a more abundant and safe place. And that’s what we’re passing on to future generations, is more capability. And that’s what I’m grateful to the past. People think, “Oh, the way to benefit future generations is like, ‘Don’t use that plastic bag. Somehow, they’ll thank you.’” Right? No. You give them more knowledge and more capability and then they’ll be able to both inherit more of the wealth that you created, but then also have an ability to create whatever they want to create.”

the idea of net-zero by 2050 is 100% incompatible with African development and prosperity. And so you shouldn’t be for a transition, you should be for an energy expansion and energy evolution. That’s what’s needed around the world, but certainly in the poorest parts of the world. And just I am going to tell them, “You cannot do what’s right for your people and remain in the Paris Agreement.” And that is considered just, nobody could ever question that. “How could you question that?” It’s one of these things where people think, “Oh, because all the countries agreed, you can’t question it.” But it’s insane. How can all these countries agree to essentially go net-zero by 2050 when most of the world is desperately poor and needs fossil fuels to develop?

So all these countries are playing along. They’re afraid of losing aid or they’re hoping to get more aid and more handouts. And I think I have some strategies for them in terms of those who really care. Now, some of them, there’s going to be some corruption and stuff, but at least the people should know, “You need to reject this. You need more freedom in general. You need better political institutions in general. And you certainly need the freedom to use fossil fuels along with anything else that’s cost-effective and for anything that’s actually cost-effective, but it requires fossil fuels.” And I think it would be an amazing service to Africa and to humanity if you had three or four African governments say, “You know what? We’re withdrawing from this Paris climate agreement.” Go to Dubai for COP. Of course, it’s in Dubai. For COP 28, you know, the incredibly rich place made entirely possible by oil.

If you add three African nations, even three publicly say, “We’ll withdraw from the Paris Agreement because it’s immoral. And we don’t believe in transition to net-zero, we believe in expansion in using fossil fuels.” Having influenced it would be the greatest thing I ever did. And it would make waves. So my view is you should always ask for what you want. Always tell people what you think is the right thing. They can compromise on it. So I don’t know what’ll happen, but I think you should just say what you think is true. It’s just like we’re saying with you, you say what you think is true and then whoever listens, listens. But you don’t suppress yourself and say something stupid or weak because you don’t think people will take the truth. And the way you move things is you say the truth that is a little too much for people, maybe, but at least moves the debate.

So one of the easiest ways to improve their lives is by improving agriculture. How do you improve agriculture? Actually, how do you get these people fed? By fertilizers, irrigation, and bits of value addition, and stuff. So irrigation requires lots of fossil fuels, be it for the plastics, the pipes, be it for the drilling boreholes, be it for desalinization. The UN wouldn’t have what to do in Sudan and Somalia if the countries had irrigation. So fertilizer, lots of fossil fuels. At the end of the day, Africa is going to develop what the UN, the IMF, World Bank, WEF, what they’re doing is just derailing or curtailing our development. But at the end of the day, we’re going to develop fossil fuels for Africa.

What percentage of Africans have ever flown on a plane, which is one of the coolest things that humanity has ever done? And of course the green movement is trying to restrict that

Actually, if you look at the developed countries, actually, throughout the world, this is the best time to be alive. This is the best time, be it the age, how long a person is going to live, be it that, be it how fed they are, be it how safe they are from the climate, everything. This is the best time to be alive. And Africa is going to be in a better position if we have plenty of energy, like we’re going to become rich. So generally, at the end of the day, it comes down to Africa need lots of fossil fuels, and we have plenty of that. We’re not going to ask for aid. We have plenty of fossil fuels in Africa. Why can’t we use our fossil fuels to better our live

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