There are threads of Decency that connect a scientist in Pennsylvania, a prime minister in Madrid, and an energy minister in Brussels. These threads are not woven from political ideology or economic theory. These threads are woven from something far more fundamental: moral courage and the willingness to tell the truth, even when it is uncomfortable.
This week, we witnessed three powerful acts of such courage. They form a blueprint for how we build a liveable future, not by shouting at our enemies, but by standing resolutely with Decency.
First, look to the United States, where climate scientist Dr Michael Mann PhD posted a quiet but seismic victory on LinkedIn. By court order, over 100,000 pages of documents . . . the “#CurryFiles” . . . have been released to the public. They allegedly expose a concerted, years-long effort by a small group to discredit the established Climate Science that underpins federal action. This is the “dark money” playbook in broad daylight: manufacture doubt, attack the messenger, and delay progress to protect vested interests.
Dr Michael Mann PhD’s courage is not new. For decades, he has been the target of a tobacco’y well-oiled machine of harassment . . . including death-threats and character-assassination for articulating the Climate Science “hockey stick” graph. His courage is the long, bitter, but ultimately beautiful struggle to defend the integrity of facts. He proves that the Truth, however hard-fought, has a legal and moral weight that can eventually triumph over the well-financed lie.
Now, look to Spain. Financial Times’ Journalist Ian Johnston reports today that Spain’s government is actively fighting to preserve the European Union’s Emissions Trading System (ETS). As energy prices spike due to the Iran war, countries like Italy and Germany are pushing to suspend the system . . . which puts a price on carbon . . . to provide short-term relief.
Spain’s Energy Minister, Sara Aagesen Muñoz, has called this a “big error” and “irresponsible.” Her argument is one of profound strategic clarity: you do not dismantle a working system in a crisis. “We can’t ignore the lessons learned about the war in Ukraine,” she told the FT, referencing the energy shock of 2022. To use “this crisis to change a system that works” would be to sacrifice long-term climate stability for momentary political gain.
This is the courage of defending fit-for-purpose architecture. The ETS is not perfect, but it is the world’s largest carbon market and a primary driver of green innovation. Aagesen is essentially telling her European allies: “I know you are under pressure. I know the fossil fuel lobby is telling you this is the easy way out. But we must hold the line. We must tell our citizens the truth: the only path to real energy security and competitive prices is through renewables, not by dismantling the tools that get us there.”
This position is backed by the reality that Minister Aagesen and her country’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez have built in Spain. As Prime Minister Sánchez discussed in his recent The Rest is Politics interview, Spain has tripled its Renewable Energy capacity: now powering 57% of Spain’s electricity mix. Sánchez himself argued that the “green transition is for the good of the middle class”. Why? Everyone . . . especially the middle class benefits directly from less expensive and healthier forms of electricity prices . . . and economic growth. He has correctly labeled anti-green rhetoric as economically damaging.
This is where the thread of truth-telling becomes a lifeline between allies.
When Minister Aagesen stands firm on the ETS, she is not just defending a policy. She is embodying the principle that: real allies tell each other the truth, no matter what. This principle Sánchez himself articulated regarding his relationship with the USA: a good-faith ally does not say, “I understand your pain, let’s break the system.” A good-faith ally says: “I understand your pain. Here is how our example shows the system works. Do not let the crisis fool you.”
This is the support Mann provides to the political and investor classes. By painstakingly defending the science, he provides the intellectual and moral foundation for policy. He gives them the truth to stand on.
Similarly, Spain’s success provides a model for other “doers” across Europe, like Denmark. Denmark went from 15% renewables to over 90% through wind and smart grids. Spain is doing it through solar. Their individual successes are powerful, and their ability to act as a “fulcrum” . . . by sharing technical know-how, pushing for better interconnections (like the unfinished link between the Iberian peninsula and France that Sánchez lamented), and jointly defending key EU architecture like the ETS . . . is transformative.
The collaboration is not just about electrons. It is about a shared vocabulary of courage. When Spain and the Nordic countries co-signed a letter supporting the ETS, they were signaling that the alliance of the fit-for-purpose is stronger than the alliance of the cynical.
So, what is the lesson for us?
Decency is fought for in laboratories, where scientists like Mann endure personal attacks to safeguard data.
Decency is fought for in parliaments, where leaders like Sánchez and Aagesen resist the siren song of populist quick fixes.
Decency is fought for in the marketplace, where the ETS quietly does its work, incentivizing the next solar panel and the next green innovation.
The forces of tobacco’y delay . . . the “dark money,” the deniers, the short-termists . . . lobby that courage is futile, that the system is broken, that the only answer is to retreat. The actions of this week prove them wrong.
The release of the #CurryFiles shows that the truth has a legal remedy.
Spain’s defense of the ETS shows that good policy has political champions.
The economic growth powered by renewables shows that the green transition works.
The thread of gold is this: by telling the truth, by defending what works, by supporting our allies with resolute action . . . we build a web of resilience that cannot be broken by price spikes, political shifts, and well-oiled lies.
As you engage in your studies and work . . . ask yourself:
Am I being a good-faith ally?
Am I telling the truth, even when it’s hard?
Am I defending the fit-for-purpose systems we have built, while working to improve them?
The answers to those questions will determine whether Decency wins.
Further Reading:
- Dr Mann PhD’s linkedin post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/michael-mann-930061a_curryfiles-activity-7439382963785506817-c2Q-/
- The EDF’s press release: Records of Trump Administration’s Illegal “Climate Working Group” Available Online https://www.edf.org/media/records-trump-administrations-illegal-climate-working-group-available-online
- Financial Times article: Spain has defended the EU carbon trading system, warning that it would be a “big error” to take it apart to alleviate the energy price shock triggered by the Iran war https://www.ft.com/content/2fc4615a-c9bb-4b9e-be29-2c9c6ec44b5f?shareType=nongift
- The Rest is Politics interview with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez https://youtu.be/bEzKyw2rbhs?si=ksCQLMcDAIXZjbEB
- 100% Renewable Energy Roadmap for Spain: https://thesolutionsproject.org/what-we-do/inspiring-action/why-clean-energy/#/map/countries/location/ESP
