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Paul Driessen

Paul Driessen is a senior fellow with the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow and Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise, nonprofit public policy institutes that focus on energy, the environment, economic development and international affairs. Paul Driessen is author of Eco-Imperialism: Green power, Black death

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Congress and courts enable energy and climate fantasy and tyranny

The left end of the political spectrum is relentlessly pursuing the transformation of America’s society, history, economy, speech, borders, governing systems, healthcare, energy and living standards. What it cannot secure via the ballot box and alliances with the legacy media and academic institutions, it works to impose through rule by unelected, unaccountable Executive Branch bureaucrats, collusive sue-and-settle legal actions, and court decisions that too often rubberstamp agency rules.

- Saturday, February 10, 2024

Climate and energy fantasy and tyranny

It’s mystifying and terrifying that our lives, livelihoods and living standards are increasingly dictated by activist, political, bureaucratic, academic and media ruling elites, who disseminate theoretical nonsense, calculated myths and outright disinformation.

Not only on pronouns, gender and immigration – but on climate change ... and energy, the foundation of modern civilization and life spans.

- Sunday, January 28, 2024

Hamas terrorism isn’t ‘self-defense’ against ‘occupiers’

Council on American Islamic Relations Los Angeles executive director Hussam Ayloush recently defended Hamas’s barbaric slaughter of 1,200 Jewish, Thai, Filipino, Bedouin and other men, women and children. He claimed Israel is “an occupier” that “does not have the right to defend itself.” He condemned Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza and said only Palestinians have “a right of self-defense.”

- Monday, January 8, 2024

Dictatorial control, from Covid to climate

I choked on my coffee when I read the headline: “Democrats raise specter of Trump dictatorship to boost Biden.” What a textbook example of “projection,” I laughed, referring to the psychology term for deflecting attention away from one’s own blatant behavior by claiming someone else is doing it.

Partisan media and politicos parroted the accusation, and the Biden campaign doubled down.

- Monday, December 25, 2023

A ‘humanitarian’ Gaza ceasefire – so Hamas can plant more IEDs

CAUTION: Some of this may not be suitable for children or weak stomachs.

Jews have lived in what’s now Israel for 4,000 years, even after the Romans sacked Jerusalem 1,953 years ago. Christians have been there 2,000 years; Muslims for 1,400 years. Israel became a nation in 1948.

- Monday, November 13, 2023


Superfund cleanups descend into uncertainty

Urban and industrial centers generate enormous quantities of wastes that can create major health problems unless they’re handled properly.

In 1900, New York City and other big metropolitan areas were plagued with millions of tons of horse urine, manure and carcasses. The carcasses went to rendering plants; the urine evaporated or washed into rivers; and some manure was dumped into the same rivers, along with garbage, industrial chemicals and untreated toilet discharges, creating vast stinking cesspools.

- Friday, October 6, 2023

Bloomberg finances and co-opts state attorneys general

When you’ve built a financial information and media empire and become the world’s seventh richest person, you get to say dumb things, like suggesting that farming is easy: “You dig a hole, put a seed in, put dirt on top, add water – and up comes the corn.”

Being ultra-wealthy also shields Michael Bloomberg from any fallout from the climate and energy policies he pursues so zealously. He will doubtless be able to afford electricity at any price for his multiple mansions, from any source, backed up by thousands of battery modules to cover the repeated blackouts his policies will unleash. The other 99.9% won’t be so fortunate.

- Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Cobalt carnage, child labor and ecological destruction

Global cobalt demand soared with the advent of cell phones and laptop computers. It exploded with the arrival of electric vehicles and now is skyrocketing in tandem with government EV mandates and subsidies. Cobalt improves battery performance, extends driving range and reduces fire risks.

Demand will reach stratospheric heights if governments remain obsessed with climate change and Net Zero. States and nations would have to switch to electric cars, trucks, buses and tractors; end coal and gas electricity generation; convert gas furnaces, water heaters and stoves to electricity; and provide alternative power for windless, sunless periods. Electricity generation would triple or quadruple.

- Wednesday, August 2, 2023

If it’s not open warfare, it’s collusive lawfare


The Biden Administration continues waging war on fossil fuels, aided by environmentalists, politicians, and corporations chasing subsidies, competitive advantages, power and profits. They want to “fundamentally transform” America’s energy and economic systems, prevent “climate cataclysms,” and ensure “environmental justice” for some (by inflicting injustices on others).

- Saturday, June 10, 2023

Biden Administration environmental injustices


President Biden recently issued a 5,400-word executive order directing all federal agencies to emphasize “environmental justice” in every decision they make.

After ducking questions for weeks on what remediation, remuneration and environmental justice the administration is providing East Palestine, Ohio residents following a toxic railway chemical spill, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre explained the EO in her inimitable style:The President has “the most ambitious climate agenda than any other president in history, and one way that you can look at this today is that he’s continuing to deliver on that ambitious agenda, and he’s not done yet. This is a continuing continuation of what he’s promised the American people.”

- Monday, May 29, 2023

Your taxes at work: ‘eco-anxiety’ counseling for federal workers

US Fish and Wildlife Service employees are struggling to cope with feelings of trauma and loss over the world’s changing climates and imperiled environments. Their work repeatedly confronts them with ecological changes, but even a sense of “anticipated loss” perhaps decades from now requires compassionate help. Or so the FWS and American Psychological Association tell us.

The FWS is thus offering paid leave to employees who attend “eco-anxiety” and “climate grief” training. When the House Natural Resources Committee called the sessions a colossal waste of money, the agency downplayed their cost and scope. But naturally the “woke” programs don’t end there.

FWS Director Martha Williams is also pushing diversity-equity-inclusion-LBGTQ programs as the agency’s “number one priority” (or perhaps number two, after climate change). Employees can take as much paid time off as needed for DEI and “gay pride” programs and eco-anguish counseling.

- Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Legalized climate grifting


Grifters have long fascinated us. Operating outside accepted moral standards, they excel at persuading their “marks” to hand valuables over willingly. If they ever represented a “distinctly American ethos,” they’ve been supplanted by con artists seeking bank accounts for funds abandoned by Nigerian princes.

Their artful dodging is epitomized by Frank Abagnale daring the FBI to “catch me if you can,” Anna Delvey inventing Anna Sorokin, Redford and Newman masterminding their famous Sting, and dirty, rotten scoundrels like Steve Martin, Michael Caine and Glenn Headly.

- Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Childish beliefs drive lethal energy and agricultural agendas

Many eco-activists (and too many legislators, regulators, judges and journalists) have trouble thinking beyond slogans. They apparently believe declaring ecological emergencies, repeating clever mantras, and issuing proclamations and mandates will create a fossil-fuel-free, organic farming utopia. In their dreams.

Since 1950, American farmers increased per-acre corn yields by an incredible 500% – and other crop yields by smaller but still amazing amounts, while using less land, water, fuel, fertilizers and pesticides. Their exports helped slash global hunger and malnutrition. Farmers in Brazil, India and other countries worldwide have likewise enjoyed record harvests in recent years. Their success has many “roots.”

- Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Vital energy lessons for Virginia and America

Vital energy lessons for Virginia and AmericaWhen they open their 30-day session January 11, Virginia's Senate and House of Delegates must correct some serious energy mistakes they made two years ago, when Democrats controlled nearly the entire state government and passed the "Virginia Clean Economy Act." One of its party-line provisions requires that Virginia adopt California's requirement that only low emission vehicles (LEVs) be sold by model year 2025 and only zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) by MY 2035. That means in barely twelve years only new electric vehicles (EVs) could be sold in Virginia. Again mimicking California, in addition to EVs, the VCEA also requires a massive shift from affordable, reliable coal and natural gas-generated electricity to expensive, weather-dependent, land-intensive wind and solar electricity, stabilized and backed up by huge batteries.
- Wednesday, January 11, 2023

ESG's perverse, narrow, fraudulent ethical principles

ESG's perverse, narrow, fraudulent ethical principlesWarning: Your retirement fund may have been Shanghaied by BlackRock or other Wall Street asset managers who've unilaterally decided that the tens of trillions of dollars of other people's money they control should be used to advance political causes they favor – to "make the world a better place."   As most people know, ESG stands for Environmental protection, Social justice, and Governance of corporate and societal affairs. They're all noble-sounding causes. However, under ESG they're centered around progressive, woke agendas, with prevention of "manmade climate cataclysms" uppermost. Fund assets are used to drive "net zero" climate agendas and punish or de-fund fossil fuel companies.
- Tuesday, December 27, 2022

COP-27 financiers and merchants of death 

Africa resists policies that demand primitive farming and energy, and making muffins out of fliesAs Americans give thanks this week for our many blessings, let us recall the Pilgrims' and Native Americans' primitive agricultural knowledge and technologies, the hunger and disease that were constants in their lives--and how so many around the world are not much better off today. Much of Africa still lives on the edge, with well over 600 million people not even having electricity. Many parts of India, Asia and Latin America also face serious energy and food deprivation.
- Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Escaping from the COP-27 insane asylum

Escaping from the COP-27 insane asylum“Show us the money!” climate activists demand, and rich countries are expected to pony up. Do I hear $100 billion? Would you give $1 trillion? Now, then, would you give $2 trillion? The climate reparations bidding war is on. What began at $100-billion-a-year at COP-21 in Paris rapidly ballooned to $1.3-trillion on the eve of COP-27 in Sharm-el-Sheikh-Down, Egypt and now stands at $2.4-trillion annually! And we’re nowhere near “going once, going twice, sold.”
- Sunday, November 13, 2022

Let's talk about REAL climate cataclysms 

Let's talk about REAL climate cataclysmsThe climate crisis! Save our planet! Stop using fossil fuels! The ranting never ends. Present data showing that hurricane frequency and intensity are not increasing, but tornado activityhas declined significantly since 1975; offer clear evidence of past, recurrent, major climate changes, including a widespread Little Ice Age from 1300 to 1850, a 2400-year-old forest emerging from beneath a melting Alaskan glacier, a 5200-year-old mummified traveler frozen on a once-nearly-ice-free Italian Alps trail – and they respond, Shut up! The climate crisis! The science is settled! Stop using fossil fuels! Fine. But take a few minutes to ponder some  REAL climate disasters: the Pleistocene Ice Ages. And then ask Michael Mann, Al Gore, John Kerry and the rest of the climate cataclysm cabal to explain exactly how carbon dioxide and a few other greenhouse gases caused those massive ice sheets to grow and melt, multiple times.
- Friday, October 28, 2022

Hurricane hype, lies, censorship – and reality

Hurricane hype, lies, censorship – and realityHurricane Ian is in the history books, having unleashed its Category 4 fury on southwestern Florida. Even as the area slowly digs out and rebuilds, the devastation and tragedies will linger in reality and memories.   Ian was the latest of 123 hurricanes to hit the Sunshine State since official recordkeeping began in 1851. But not surprisingly, some wasted no time trying to link Ian to the most dominant issue of our time. Climate change is "rapidly fueling super hurricanes," a Washington Post headline proclaimed. "I grew up [in Florida] and these storms are intensifying," CNN's Don Lemon insisted. Rising temperatures in the atmosphere and ocean are making hurricanes "stronger, slower and wetter," reporter Morgan McFall-Johnsen asserted. They're becoming more frequent and intense, multiple commentators pronounced.
- Sunday, October 9, 2022

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