Biography
Alex Epstein is a philosopher and energy expert who argues that “human flourishing” should be the guiding principle of industrial and environmental progress. He founded Center for Industrial Progress (CIP) in 2011 to offer a positive, pro-human alternative to the Green movement.
Epstein is the author of The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels (Penguin, 2014), a New York Times bestseller arguing that if we look at the whole picture, human flourishing requires that humanity use more fossil fuels not less. The book has been widely praised as the most persuasive argument ever made for our continuing use of fossil fuels, winning Epstein the “Most Original Thinker of 2014” award from The McLaughlin Group. His latest book is “Fossil Future”, 2022, (Penguin Random House).
Epstein, known for his willingness to debate anyone, anytime, has publicly debated leading environmentalist organizations such Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, and 350.org over the morality of fossil fuel use versus their own agendas. He has made his moral case for fossil fuels at dozens of campuses, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and Duke (his alma mater). He has also spoken to employees and leaders at dozens of Fortune 500 energy companies, including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Phillips 66, Valero, Enbridge, and TransCanada.
In his speeches and consulting work he helps companies take his pro-human messaging and use it to neutralize attackers, turn non-supporters and supporters, and turn supporters into champions. One of his major goals is to teach employees in the fossil fuel industry—in the face of hostility from the media and the academy—to understand the value of what they do and how to communicate it.
Speech Topics
The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels and “Fossil Future”
This speech introduces employees to something that most of them have never heard: the idea that what they do is moral. Combined with the book The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels, this speech will create months of excitement and learn among a company’s employees.
How to Talk to Anyone About Energy
Every employee in the energy industry deserves the opportunity to understand the value of what they do—and how to communicate it to others. This speech shares the key principles employees need to effectively communicate what they do to their personal networks, both online and offline.
How to Win Hearts and Minds
This speech, designed for senior management, discusses why companies have so much difficulty winning the hearts and minds of their stakeholders, including employees—and how reframing the conversation is the fundamental solution.
Workshop: How to Have Constructive Conversations About Energy
This one-day workshop gives teams custom guidance on dealing with their most important
audiences and communication challenges.
Stakeholder Strategy Session
This day-long session is for organizations that are undertaking a new, significant communication
project and want to maximize their chances of success. Using a framework called “The 10 Ms”
Alex Epstein takes project leaders through the following 10 questions.
NEW BOOK:
TALKING POINTS: Alex is available to share his views on how to better counter the climate narrative via his talking points. For example, here is a snippet:
Originally published on Aug 2, 2023
Myth: This year’s hot temperatures show that fossil fuels are already making Earth unlivably hot.
Truth: This year’s hot temperatures are part of a slow warming trend on a planet where far more people die from cold than from heat, and where we need fossil fuels to protect us from both.
