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mystery
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Change won't be easy. But how we respond will help answer the
metaphorical meaning of "Will we run out of gas?" That is, will
our species fizzle out in the coming century, a victim of its own
appetites and lethargy? Or will we take action and earn a longer
stay on this beautiful planet?
The good news is, we know how to change course. Improving energy efficiency is the first step and - surprise! - potentially a very profitable one, not just for consumers and businesses but also for all of society. And better efficiency can buy us time to make a global transition to solar power and other renewable energy. China could use 50% less energy if it only installed more efficient electric lights, motors and insulation, all technologies currently available on the world market. Americans could trade in their notoriously gas-swilling SUVs for sporty new 80-m.p.g. hybrid-electric cars. Better yet: hydrogen-powered fuel-cell cars, expected in showrooms by 2004. Since their only exhaust is water vapor, fuel-cell cars produce neither smog nor global warming. The best part is that we could make money by making peace with the planet. If governments launched a program - call it a Global Green Deal - to environmentally retrofit our civilization from top to bottom, they could create the biggest business enterprise of the next 25 years, a huge source of jobs and profits. Which is why I'm not entirely gloomy about our future. After all, what's more human than pursuit of self-interest? Mark Hertsgaard's most recent book is "Earth Odyssey: Around the World in Search of Our Environmental Future" |
Back to Question Page What Would a Green Future Look Like? What Will Happen to Alternative Medicine? Will Christopher Reeve Walk Again? Will There Be Any Wilderness Left? What New Things Are Going to Kill Me? Can We Make Garbage Disappear? What Will Be the Catch of the Day? |