Fossil Fuels Are the Future, Trump Energy Secretary Tells African Leaders. “We’ve had years of Western countries shamelessly saying don’t develop coal, coal is bad,” Wright said. “That’s just nonsense, 100 percent nonsense. Coal transformed our world and made it better.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/climate/africa-chris-wright-energy-fossil-fuels-electricity.html

created by mafco on 08/03/2025 at 14:59 UTC

1126 upvotes, 448 top-level comments (showing 25)

Comments

Comment by Spudmiester at 08/03/2025 at 15:07 UTC

62 upvotes, 2 direct replies

Meanwhile the West is largely transitioning to a renewable+gas power system because it is dramatically cheaper and cleaner.

Comment by For_All_Humanity at 08/03/2025 at 15:38 UTC*

54 upvotes, 1 direct replies

These people are actually evil. They know the havoc fossil fuels are causing but are lying for money. They know they’ll be dead before the effects impact them.

Comment by FKMTzawazawa at 08/03/2025 at 16:07 UTC

42 upvotes, 1 direct replies

Coal is no longer economical in most cases and that's that.

Comment by Thedarkpersona at 08/03/2025 at 16:58 UTC

31 upvotes, 2 direct replies

My hypothesis with all of this regressive dumb fuckwits is that:

A) China is outcompeting them in the green energy market, so they try to revive an old industry (which will fail)

B) green energy is essentially free to produce and it is way easier to have in homes (solar generators in roofs of houses/flats) and that makes the commonfolk have more relative power, and the oligarchs cant have that

Comment by Sufficient_Ad3790 at 08/03/2025 at 15:19 UTC

28 upvotes, 1 direct replies

Chinese are exporting solar to Africa.

Comment by InsanelyAverageFella at 09/03/2025 at 04:51 UTC

27 upvotes, 1 direct replies

For everyone who voted Trump, screw you! You put this guy in this position and are compromising and risking the future of our country and the world.

Comment by robot_jeans at 08/03/2025 at 15:17 UTC

49 upvotes, 2 direct replies

Why stop at coal, go backwards to whale oil. Fuck it all team rich /s

Comment by Puzzleheaded_Ad_3507 at 08/03/2025 at 15:20 UTC

24 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Kissing Charles Koch’s ass.

Comment by smokeyfantastico at 08/03/2025 at 18:14 UTC

21 upvotes, 1 direct replies

We also use to burn whale oil, times change bruv

Comment by Belzebutt at 09/03/2025 at 03:12 UTC

23 upvotes, 1 direct replies

Now you know what kind of people were in charge when Easter Island cut down its last trees and its civilization collapsed

Comment by MoistureManagerGuy at 09/03/2025 at 04:38 UTC

20 upvotes, 0 direct replies

So did horses and wheels at the dawn of human civilization. These people are fucking brain dead.

Comment by bruhaha88 at 08/03/2025 at 15:20 UTC

41 upvotes, 1 direct replies

Thankfully, China already has the lock down on most of Africa with their “belt and road” initiative and are building utility scale solar and wind power projects all over Africa.

America ceded its position as global leader 25 years ago, Trump is just the cherry on the top for China.

Comment by Ok-Prompt-59 at 08/03/2025 at 16:01 UTC

19 upvotes, 0 direct replies

So did whale oil.

Comment by krichard-21 at 08/03/2025 at 16:45 UTC

18 upvotes, 1 direct replies

And why did we even build cars and trucks?

When horses did such a magnificent job!

Black Lung? That's only a rumor pushed by Democrats.

Soot equals FREEDOM! / s

Comment by Nannyphone7 at 08/03/2025 at 20:23 UTC

19 upvotes, 2 direct replies

Coal transformed our world is about the PAST not the future.

Horses transformed our world. Stone tools transformed our world.

Trump is a moron who surrounds himself with other morons.

Comment by qejfjfiemd at 09/03/2025 at 06:38 UTC

18 upvotes, 0 direct replies

We are so fucked.

Comment by One-Salamander9685 at 08/03/2025 at 15:06 UTC

16 upvotes, 1 direct replies

Here in Ontario or provincial government shut down the coal burning power plants about fifteen years ago. We don't really get smog days anymore. The change in air quality has been wonderful.

Comment by Mawgac at 08/03/2025 at 16:00 UTC

16 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Says the man comfortable being dead in 15 years.

Comment by Rude-Independence421 at 09/03/2025 at 04:00 UTC

17 upvotes, 1 direct replies

These people really are stuck in the past. This administration will be the one that sets us back in renewable energy, the future of energy.

Comment by Interesting_Stress73 at 09/03/2025 at 13:48 UTC

16 upvotes, 2 direct replies

These people are genuinely evil beyond belief... what the actual fuck is wrong with these people?

Comment by greaper007 at 08/03/2025 at 16:36 UTC

16 upvotes, 0 direct replies

What about whale oil? Why isn't he screaming about bringing that back? Or human sacrifices?

Comment by Qcconfidential at 08/03/2025 at 19:19 UTC

17 upvotes, 1 direct replies

It’s incredible that he can say that considering what’s happening in the entire rest of the world where renewables are outpacing fossil fuels by a lot at this point

Also incredible that he can say that considering we’ve already possibly hit peak fossil fuels.

Comment by Numerous_Photograph9 at 08/03/2025 at 17:39 UTC

15 upvotes, 1 direct replies

If the market demand for coal was still there, there would still be coal mines operating. It's not about if it's a clean or useful source of energy, it's that everyone has moved on to cleaner, not to mention more efficient means of production.

Trying to sell this crap to African nations is to make some extra profit, with no interest in these countries long term well being. He's trying to create demand, because it's waned everywhere else.

Comment by Dylanator13 at 09/03/2025 at 01:47 UTC

15 upvotes, 1 direct replies

Coal in fact did transform the world. But now we have advanced enough to stop using it.

Comment by Open_Mortgage_4645 at 09/03/2025 at 04:06 UTC

16 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Pay no attention to the horrific environmental destruction behind the curtain!