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In the 1970s, '80s, and '90s, as we have seen, benefit-ignorers and catastrophizers were very inaccurately designated as the environmental experts. But unlike today, the knowledge system didn't only consult "environmental experts" when it came to fossil fuels, it also consistently consulted experts on energy economics-who knew well that there would be catastrophic consequences to rapidly restricting fossil fuel use.
The knowledge system didn't make addressing the alleged catastrophes that designated environmental experts predicted, such as catastrophic climate change, top public priorities.
The biggest issue that designated environmental experts raised was air and water pollution, which became a top priority in the 1970s, but it was handled largely in a much more pro-fossil fuel, pro-technology way than the designated environmental experts wanted it to be.
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Alex Epsteiin (Fossil Future: Why Global Human Flourishing Requires More Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas--Not Less)