. For decades, he has reaped enormous profits from a company he founded that sells gob — a particularly dirty kind of coal left over from mining operations — to the very few thermal generating plants that still burn this low quality stuff, according to a report by. He has also been a fierce critic of any new regulations designed to lower carbon emissions from coal-fired generating stations.
The ultimate goal of climate policy is not to rewire America so it can use more renewable energy, says McKibben. While that is a worthy goal — one that will make money for solar and wind developers — the primary objective is to prevent the planet from dangerously overheating. If you make renewable energy easier in America at the cost of addicting developing Asian economies to exported American LNG, you have taken an enormous step backwards.