Resist lecturing about Spain & Portugal
As I gear up for the release of my new book, The Myth and The Moment, I have a new format for these newsletters. Let me know what you think!
The Myth and The Moment in the Wild: The Spain and Portugal Outages
In my forthcoming book, I explore the temptation for our industry to say “I told you so” as The Myth of an Easy Energy Transition unravels. I just call this “The Temptation”—it’s that big a problem. We recently saw The Temptation in the wild courtesy of the very dramatic recent power outages across Spain and Portugal.
My advice: Resist the urge to oversimplify the cause and the solution! Oversimplification, by supporters of The Myth, is what got us into this mess in the first place. Raúl Bajo Buenestado, of Rice University’s Baker Institute, offers an excellent analysis of the outages that makes it clear: It’s complicated.
Of course it’s complicated! Energy systems are complicated. The recent crisis underscores how simplistic views on energy transitions—ignoring trade-offs and infrastructure needs—can lead to dramatic real-world consequences. Pragmatic solutions, rather than idealistic shortcuts, are urgently needed. Which makes it definitely not the time to say “I told you so.”
Buenestado explicitly highlights (a) the likely public backlash against renewables and (b) the need to plan for and finance grid upgrades for systems with higher intermittent resources. Once again, the Three Ts of Energy Realism are at play! So let the public generate their own backlash; they don’t need any encouragement from us. Instead, focus on the opportunities The Moment presents you—to lead your stakeholders with win-win narratives on climate and energy, and to build business lines adaptive to today’s and tomorrow’s shifting winds.
Other sightings of The Myth and The Moment in the wild:
- Matt Yglesias with “Doubling Down on Climate Won’t Win the Senate.” (Check out Matt on the Energy Thinks podcast here.)
- Arnab Data in the New York Times with “Democrats Have Been at War with Oil for Too Long.” (Arnab on the podcast here!)
- What happens if we miss The Moment? Check out “The Resistance Is Gonna Be Woke by Yascha Mounk.” (Yascha, want to come on the podcast?)
Help Choose the Subtitle of My Forthcoming Book!
Would you like to help shape The Myth and The Moment during this final stretch? I have four subtitles for you to choose from. You can cast your vote on either Substack or LinkedIn. Or reply here with your vote or suggestion.
- Oil and Gas Leadership When the Easy Answers Fail
- Reclaiming Pragmatic Climate Leadership
- Strategic Choices for the Future of Oil, Gas, and Climate Action
- From Polarization to Progress in the New Energy Landscape
This will be only one of several ways you will shape the future!
Preview The Myth and The Moment
I’m now scheduling fall engagements to discuss The Myth and The Moment with executive teams and boards—only three spots available. Would your team like to be among the first to join the conversation about shaping the energy future? Request more info here.
- Hit that heart button below to support my work.
- Forward this to three colleagues who value pragmatic energy insights.
- Don’t forget to cast your vote for the best subtitle!
To navigating nuance,
Tisha
