| It was a busy week at Energy Realism, with key topics remaining California and activists’ net-zero dreams. Joel Kotkin examines how California’s politicians blame forest fires on climate change—without taking responsibility for their own misguided forestry-management practices, which make seasonal fires much worse. California’s environmentally extreme “Ecotopia” policies could soon be coming to the rest of the country. Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced, for example, a phase-out for manufacture of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035, in favor of those powered by electric batteries. Brett Bennett brings a much-needed reality check: there is no “Moore’s Law for batteries,” he writes. There is, however, a growing cognitive dissonance between the goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions and the pace of battery and electric vehicle development. Taking aim at these net-zero dreams, Frank Lasee sees carbon neutrality as a “bogus goal.” China’s purpose in promising to achieve “net-zero carbon by 2060” is obvious: to encourage Western environmental groups to derail the American shale revolution and increase domestic energy prices – all to the benefit of the Chinese Communist Party. Daniel Turner builds on a recent RealClearInvestigations report that explains the limits of “green energy”—an exercise that ultimately magnifies the need for more fossil fuel energy. In short, we need practical energy policies, not pie-in-the-sky fantasies. Finally, the editors at RealClearEnergy summarize a discussion between energy-policy heavyweights Mark P. Mills and Daniel Yergin, made possible by the Manhattan Institute. The subjects: the complex “energy transition” and Yergin’s just-released book, The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations. In the News John Hart, C3 News Mag Tsvetana Paraskova, Oil Price Jeff Berman, Think Advisor Steve Kerekes, Protect Our Power Katherine Dunn, Fortune Jennifer Van Laar, Red State Leslie P. Norton, Barron's Ed Stoddard, Daily Maverick J.W. Verret, Morning Consult James Langton, Investment Executive Leslie Norton, Barron's Next Haley Zaremba, Oil Price Chris Wright, The Gazette Associated Press, WTOP Staff, Bloomberg Law The Federalist Tristan Justice interviews bestselling author, journalist, and environmental activist Michael Shellenberger on recent wildfires. Manhattan Institute The shale revolution brought about not only an American competitive advantage in the global oil and gas market, but also an entirely new geopolitical dynamic. Energy is the bedrock o... | 
