I think I’ve now refuted all the arguments for solar/wind subsidies. They all pretty much amount to one absurd idea: There’s huge demand for more electricity and only solar/wind can provide it, but without subsidies we won’t buy this electricity we have so much demand for. 🤡

A common refrain from Elon is that people should definitely believe he is opposed to EV subsidies because Tesla, being superior to its competitors, would benefit if all the EV subsidies went away. But if this is the case, why does Tesla keep lobbying for more subsidies?

Carbon capture doesn’t make natural gas more affordable, it makes it more expensive (obviously—because it only adds costs!) The only reason all these carbon capture projects are popping up in the US is the IRA's 45Q subsidy, which pays producers $85/ton to put CO2 in the ground!

Tesla has derived huge financial benefits from the subsidies it's successfully advocated for. According to E&E News, Tesla has made over $10 billion since 2014 just from selling "green" credits that other companies were compelled to buy under various indirect EV subsidies.

Myth: Elon Musk opposes all EV subsidies. Truth: Elon, through Tesla, has been one of America's biggest advocates of direct and indirect EV subsidies—and of punishments for Tesla's competitors. 🧵👇

Why is Germany's manufacturing output declining "with no sign of recovery"? Because Germany has spent years shutting down nuclear plants and passing anti-fossil-fuel policies—subsidizing unreliable solar/wind, banning fracking—with no sign of reversal.

Survivors of a typhoon in the Philippines are suing Shell over damages—but they should be thanking Shell that they're alive. Typhoons used to wipe out entire populations. Now the death rate is tiny, thanks to fossil fueled climate mastery—brought to us by companies like Shell.

Tesla built thousands of new EV ports this quarter... But weren't all EV subsidies eliminated in the "Big Beautiful Bill"? No! EVs are still heavily subsidized in all kinds of ways. Case in point: EV chargers are still hugely subsidized through the IRA.

Looks like the UK government is slightly backing off its plan to eliminate fossil fuels from its electricity by 2030—because energy prices are already so high. It’s incredible how much suffering it took for Britain to allow even a sliver of common sense into their energy policy.

US export capacity for liquified natural gas is growing! Myth: This will increase US natgas prices, because exporting gas means less supply at home. Truth: This will lower US gas prices, because steady global demand makes US production profitable and increases supply long-term.

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Summary It is no exaggeration to say that today’s productive ability is fossil-fueled: it depends on ultra-cost-effective fossil-fueled machine labor, fossil-fuel-freed-up time, and fossil fuel materials!

Consider the thousands of materials that are made from fossil fuels. You are probably sitting in a room with at least fifty things derived from oil, from the insulation in your walls to the carpet under your feet to the laminate on your table to the screen on your computer.

Fossil Fuel Materials Fossil fuels, by fueling super-specialization and rapid innovation, led to research and development, not just in how to burn fossil fuels for energy but also in how to leverage their unique properties to make materials.

Consider scientific and technological research—fields that are major drivers of prosperity and progress. It is only in an empowered world, where machine labor does enormous amounts of work for us, that we can confidently free up enormous amounts of human time for such pursuits.

Rapid Innovation Fossil-fueled machine labor is the root of today's massive innovation via a virtuous circle of empowerment: fossil-fueled machine labor frees up time that we can devote to productive innovation—productive innovation that utilizes fossil-fueled machines.

Some of the ways in which fossil fuels make possible today's super-specialized global trade: giant cargo ships and planes that can't be powered at scale by anything besides oil.

Super-Specialization Fossil fuels make possible today’s super-specialization by freeing up human mental labor, by empowering specialists with machine labor, and by producing ultra-cost-effective transportation that facilitates global trade.

Enormous Amounts of Human Mental Labor Freed Up by Ultra-Cost-Effective Machine Labor Fossil-fueled machine labor allows humans to produce enough for our survival needs quickly, freeing up ample time for the uniquely human mental labor that most modern productive areas require.

Fossil fuels have made machine labor so cost-effective that a private jet is one of the few machines that is not cost-effective in the empowered world. The vast majority of machines—from washing machines to smartphones to refrigerators—are cost-effective for billions of people.

Powering Ultra-Cost-Effective Machine Labor Fossil fuels are uniquely cost-effective: low-cost, on-demand, versatile, and scalable. The ultra-cost-effectiveness of fossil fuels has made machine labor so cost-effective that it can be used everywhere in every aspect of life.