Since the 1970s, treating ‘energy’ as a dirty word has been politically fashionable. Chris Wright doesn’t see things that way.

Matthew Zeitlin of Heatmap has written an intellectual profile of Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of energy, Chris Wright. It confirms that he’s exactly the right person for the job.

Wright knows his stuff on energy. He studied nuclear fusion at MIT and worked in solar and geothermal engineering before leading Liberty Energy, a fracking company. So in one sense, he’s an outsider, in that he has never served in government before. But in another sense, he’s an insider who understands how energy policy works and its science better than just about anyone.

He stands out against the global mainstream in terms of energy policy, which says rich countries need to transition to renewable energy away from fossil fuels. Here’s the essence of what Wright believes, according to Zeitlin:

Energy consumption makes people better off; energy access, especially in the developing world, is a greater global challenge than climate change; and existing alternatives to hydrocarbons are not capable of replacing the status quo energy system, which still overwhelmingly relies on fossil fuels, with little prospect of a rapid transition.

Rather than apologizing for being a fossil-fuel company, as many oil firms do, Liberty Energy is proud that it provides reliable energy to people who need it. The firm issues a “Bettering Human Lives” report instead of an ESG report.

This year’s report has ten “key takeaways”:

1. Energy is essential to life and the world needs more of it!
2. The modern world today is powered by and made of hydrocarbons.
3. Hydrocarbons are essential to improving the wealth, health, and life
   opportunities for the less energized seven billion people who aspire to be among the world’s lucky one billion.
4. Hydrocarbons supply more than 80% of global energy and thousands of
   critical materials and products.
5. The American Shale Revolution transformed energy markets, energy
   security, and geopolitics.
6. Global demand for oil, natural gas, and coal are all at record levels and rising — no energy transition has begun.
7. Modern alternatives, like solar and wind, provide only a part of electricity demand and do not replace the most critical uses of hydrocarbons. Energy-dense, reliable nuclear could be more impactful.
8. Making energy more expensive or unreliable compromises people, national security, and the environment.
9. Climate change is a global challenge but is far from the world’s greatest
   threat to human life.
10. Zero Energy Poverty by 2050 is a superior goal compared to Net Zero 2050.

Rather than merely critiquing the shortcomings of the net-zero vision, Wright has an alternative vision of the future. Instead of many environmentalists’ anti-human, anti-growth views, Wright sees a positive future of greater energy accessibility and lower levels of poverty worldwide. And his worldview is based on reality, not aspiration.

Despite the years of forecasts of “peak oil” and statements from politicians about the “energy transition,” demand for fossil fuels continues to rise around the world as more people rise out of poverty. That’s actually happening in real life, and the U.S. is well-positioned to be a leader in that world, with bountiful natural resources and the human capital in the energy industry to match them.

Wright takes a truly global view of energy. For all their talk about climate change as a global issue, environmentalists are largely obsessed with the United States and Europe, ignoring China’s abhorrent environmental record and hardly considering the energy needs of poor countries looking to get ahead. In his CEO letter in the 2024 “Bettering Human Lives” report, Wright notes that one billion of the world’s eight billion people consume about 40 percent of the world’s oil. The other seven billion want in on the prosperity the one billion currently enjoy.

“Wright’s emphasis on the energy poverty faced by poor countries could potentially serve as a diplomatic bridge to the developing world, especially in Africa, where some observers think there’s space for the United States to start funding natural gas development through the International Development Finance Corporation,” Zeitlin writes. That, too, presents a positive vision for U.S. energy policy to contribute to global well-being. It also would provide a powerful tool to counter Chinese influence in Africa.

The transition from CEO to cabinet secretary isn’t easy, and Wright will face a learning curve upon entering government. The Department of Energy is also not as powerful in the energy sector as its name would suggest, and Wright will be limited in what he can do as secretary.

The welcome change from Wright’s appointment will be in tone and vision. This kind of anti-elite-consensus nomination will be good for the country. Since the 1970s, treating “energy” as a dirty word has been politically fashionable. Chris Wright doesn’t see things that way. Fossil fuels aren’t something that Americans have to atone for. They are a source of American strength, and they improve people’s lives around the world. If conservatives can carry that vision forward, they will have a compelling message and a policy agenda to make the world a better place.