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I admit that I have seemed pessismistic with my points. I hope everyone understands it will take a LOT to begin to solve the problem. Ethanol can contribute, but it will never be more than 5% of the solution. There is no 'one' solution. We only have two energy sources capable of economically meeting todays demands - Fossil Fuels and Nuclear. Everything else is miniscule and worth developing.
1. Responsible conservation.
I say responsible because we do not need to return to the stone ages. We should encourage and reward (tax breaks?) true conservation.
2. Develop domestic energy. Will help with a 20-50 year transition.
With todays technology ANWR the size of Delaware would only need to use land about the size of a medium airport. About 0.02% of the land yielding between 5.6 billion and 16.7 billion barrels worth that lies beneath the coastal plain.
California off shore - Nearly 11 billion barrels of undiscovered oil and 19 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered gas in the region may be recoverable using existing technology.
Oil shale, tar sands, etc.
3. Crank up Nuclear Power.
Fossil fuels account for 70% of electricity production in the U.S. 80% of power in France is generated by Nuclear. With todays breeder technology this could be feasible in the US.
4. Develop alternative sources.
Ramp up Ethanol to 5% of auto fuel demand. (a huge task) Solar, Wind, Hydrogen, etc will always be limited to less than 2% by their very nature. Keep getting better at these. As prices go up more of these will become competitive.
I'm sure I can think of more.
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