The global energy landscape is on the brink of a seismic shift, and one author is not afraid to address the elephant in the room. In Solving Global Warming Will Kill the Fossil Fuel Industry, Tom Miezejeski challenges long-held assumptions about renewable energy, exposing the financial myths, industrial roadblocks, and inevitable technological shifts that will define the coming decades. With a background in technology and firsthand experience in renewable energy development, he brings a unique perspective to the conversation—one that underscores not just the urgency of change but the economic and industrial forces driving it forward. In this exclusive interview, he reveals the motivations behind his book, the most misunderstood aspects of renewable energy, and why the transition from fossil fuels may happen much faster than we expect.
What inspired you to write this book?
In recent years I have read several books on climate change with a wide range of perspectives. I believe I have a perspective which has not been taken to this point; therefore I thought I would write the book.
What do you think is the most misunderstood aspect of renewable energy?
The most misunderstood aspect of renewable energy is that people believe that renewable energy is more expensive than energy from fossil fuels. In fact, renewable energy is less expensive or on par with the cost of energy from fossil fuels. Thus, people feel that they have to make sacrifices by spending more money if they want to support battling climate change. I believe that part of this misunderstanding is fueled by companies that tell you that they will provide you with energy only from renewable sources, but you do pay a premium. These companies are earning the premium rather than a true difference in cost. Also, people do not consider all of the cost associated with using one technology versus another. For example, EV's are still more expensive than gas powered vehicles. However, the operating costs of a typical EV are about $1500 a year less than a comparable gasoline powered vehicle. You could look at it this way the savings on operating costs give you $125.00 a month more to spend on the vehicle as a monthly payment.
How did your background in technology influence your perspective on the energy transition?
All my life has been involved with technology change in several industries such as microcomputers cell phones to mentioned just two. From my experience I have learned that while technological change occurs in many industries the process of transitioning from one to the other follows a very similar course. Thus, I feel that it is important for me to point out that fighting climate change is basically a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
What were the challenges in writing or researching for this book?
Compared with my other writing experiences writing this book has been less challenging. For about two years I was installing hydroelectric generating facilities at existing dams around the state of New jersey. During this time, I became well versed in renewable energy of all kinds such as wind and solar. In fact, I was called upon as an expert at several conferences on renewable energy.
Some might argue your title, "Solving Global Warming Will Kill the Fossil Fuel Industry," is polarizing - was this intentional?
When I was considering how to title my book I thought about less controversial titles. I chose the current title with the intention of making it more attention-grabbing. I had some concerns that the title might appear that I was taking the side of the fossil fuel energy industry. However, I point out in the first pages of the book that I am not taking sides. On the contrary my position is that people have been taking sides and the ultimate solution to the problem is that people cooperate to come to a solution as soon as possible.
Given your research, what timeline do you envision for this transition?
While I do not present a specific timeline, one of my points is that the transition will occur more rapidly than most people expect. The important point to make regarding the transition is that we are ending the slow phase and entering the exponential phase. In absolute terms the fossil fuel industry grew over about 200 years. The transition to the demise of the fossil fuel industry could happen as soon as 2045. This is a drastic change over a short period of time. Climate scientists tell us we must make this transition in such a short period of time before we reach the point of no return.
What role do you see nuclear power playing in this transition?
I have a two-part answer regarding nuclear power. All the nuclear power plants today use a fission technology. This technology has been well proven for many years, but for various reasons after a brief building spurt in the late 70s and early 80s fission technology has fallen out of favor.
The nuclear power of the future will be fusion technology. From an engineering standpoint this has been an exceptionally difficult technology to bring to commercial grade facilities. However, fusion technology has passed some important milestones in the last year or two which indicate that we might have our first commercially viable fusion plant within 10 years. In fact, about two weeks ago there was an announcement that the first commercial grade fusion power plant will be built in Virginia over the next 10 years.
What role do you believe individual consumers can play in this transition beyond their personal energy choices?
The most important thing that individual consumers can do today is share their experience with renewable energy. I recently had an extensive conversation with a Tesla owner, and I learned a great deal about the pros and cons of Tesla ownership most of which were very favorable.
What lessons can we learn from previous major industrial transitions?
The most important thing we can learn from previous industrial transitions is that even though the companies that participated in this transition were major corporations with extensive research and development capabilities they were taken by surprise by how the transition transpired. Another important thing that we've learned is sometimes a company can redeploy its assets to participate in the new transition while others find themselves with a great deal of stranded capital. I worked for Smith Corona when the inkjet printer was introduced as a peripheral for personal computers. There was very little we could do to redeploy our assets to participate in the new business.
Do you have any other projects or books in the works?
I recently realized that I might be able to write a book that would increase awareness of the fact that renewable energy is not more expensive than fossil fuel energy. A tentative title for this book is Save the Planet And save X dollars per year.
