Here’s the pessimistic one. If we do indeed experience major instability which would be the inevitable result of the Malthusian nightmare vast numbers of the most developed would perish. If we had power outages of just one to two weeks we could see MANY deaths to cholera, dissentary, and heat stroke/hypothermia.

I, though born and bred in Dallas get wistful when I hear Hank Williams Jr’s “A Country Boy Can Survive.” City folk wouldn’t do well. The most successful would be illegals, and the rural set.

Anyway, these shocks would certainly ease the Malthusian pressures. This is one of those things like Terrorism and the war on Drugs that the more we do to prevent it will make it that much more formidable.

http://www.counterpunch.org/bryce02162010.html

We’ve been fed a lot of bs related to global warming. I am one who cares, a landscape designer who watches weather closely and who is an avid camper.

The scientist don’t have an accurate model to predict anything longterm. They haven’t even begun to understand the contributions of sun spots, or many other factors. I am indeed concerned about these matters, and believe we should strive for greater efficiency and reduction of use, and recycling. I am almost all organic.

There is much we don’t know, and much we can’t know. However, cars are vastly cleaner, no one builds fires for heat, we’ve improved vastly. Yet, there is much that remains to be done. We should strive to do so. Energy is vital to production and development.

While we wish to have more energy for silly things 300million people have zero access to electricity in India, Pakistan, Brazil, China and Indonesia. Their energy consumption must increase not for i-pods but for clean water, and heat and cooking needs. This will actually be a net benefit because even coal fired plants (India is rich in coal) are more efficient than a Franklin Stove, less polluting.

Our cities are vastly cleaner than they were. Litter alone has vastly improved. Cars which put out thousands of ppm of CO2 now put out single digits. We’ve come a long way and the work for efficiency will never stop. It’s ever been thus.

We should craft sensible policies to perhaps simply tax energy even. But, to produce a financial instrument that can be manipulated is what’s been proposed and will be a boon only to Wall St. Ethanol is an utter disaster. Wind power works only 10% of the time. Solar has promise though hasn’t proved to be terribly efficient on a massive scale.

The solution to energy lies with individuals. Our rooftops could be used for solar panels and could likely off-set peak electricity demand, especially in the South of the country. So long as roof tops are owned by individuals this won’t be pushed as it should. If electric companies could claim them under easements, perhaps that would get rolling.

In 2003 I wondered why he supported the Iraq adventure of the USA:
He didn’t believe in WMD – indirectly he made that quite clear before March 2003.
He also assumed lack of competence even before the invasion.

- Was his basic motive for supporting the war a vague anticipation that Israel might profit from the toppling of a regime so very hostile to Israel?

I’m not sure, but allow me to speculate: Friedman’s motive to rally for smarter US energy policy may have to do with his fear that too much dependence on oil could endanger the alliance the US-Israel — on the longer run. And to miss the chances of a huge future asset like energy-smart production and energy-smart infrastructure could weaken the USA’s capability to protect Israel in the long run.

In this (I admit: playful) theory concerning Friedman’s motives I assume that IN THE BRAIN OF THE NUMBER ONE US COLUMNIST EVERYTHING !!! REVOLVES ROUND ISRAEL: He realizes that Israel is on a path toward suicide. He does what he can do to bring US politics to bear for Israel’s survival.

He is a devoted patriot, indeed. Of Israel.