In this session, Alex Epstein and Marian Tupy discuss the concept of human stewardship of environmental resources. They address the question of whether good stewardship is compatible with abundance and human flourishing. Marian argues that the world is infinitely abundant, as evidenced by the fact that resources have become 98% cheaper since 1850, and that technology and innovation will continue to make resources more abundant. Alex challenges the assumption that the Earth is fragile and argues that humans are producer-improvers who add massive value to the Earth. He suggests that our environmental goal should be to advance human flourishing on Earth, not eliminate human impact.

The Hon Amanda Stoker is a columnist for the Australian Financial Review, host of the Sunday with Stoker program on Sky News Australia, and a fellow of the Menzies Research Centre. Previously, she was a Liberal National Party Senator for Queensland and served as Assistant Minister in multiple government departments.

Alex Epstein is a philosopher, energy expert, author, and creator of EnergyTalkingPoints.com. In 2022, he published Fossil Future: Why Global Human Flourishing Requires More Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas—Not Less.

Dr Marian L. Tupy is the founder and editor of HumanProgress.org and a senior fellow at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity. He is the co-author of Superabundance: The Story of Population Growth, Innovation, and Human Flourishing on an Infinitely Bountiful Planet.

Read more about Marian’s ides in his research paper, Superabundance Unbound: Limitless Possibilities in a Finite World