So what can the average citizen do to help alleviate the problems brought on by a hot,  flat and crowded planet?
My mantra has been, “Change your leaders, not your lightbulbs,” because leaders write the rules. The rules shape the market. The markets give you innovation at a speed, scope and scale that we need.

Note: This article was originally printed with the title, "Green Pay Dirt".

2 Comments

1. 1. Stan J. K. 12:58 PM 9/28/08

   "If you cant win that debate, you dont belong in politics."
   
   The media did not do a very good job educating the public. Kudos for SciAm for trying.
   
   The argument for taxing oil here (and at the same time lower other taxes) is obvious, but apparently too complex to sell it on television.
   
   Best regards, Stan J. K.

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2. 2. Nathaniel 01:40 PM 9/28/08

   A gas tax actually does sound like a good idea. If you take the money earned from such a tax and dump it into research for green tech, then it should help out quite a bit. Granted, I think we really need to focus on the national deficit. While a gas tax would help encourage people to move away from gas, it will also raise the price of everything that relies of fossil fuels for energy... which could cause a fairly big economic crisis. We're seeing the results of such a crisis right now.
   
   The following things need to happen in order for us to go green reliably and cheaply:
   1. The cost of making hydrogen fuel cells needs to drop significantly.
   2. The cost of thin-film solar cells needs to decrease significantly.
   3. The efficiency of thin-film solar cells needs to increase.
   4. The cost of fully electric vehicles needs to go down significantly.
   5. The efficiency and performance of fully electric vehicles needs to go up drastically.
   
   The world that I want to exist is one where the solar panels on my roof would pay for themselves within a year and last 10-20 years. My car would either be run on cheap hydrogen, or be entirely electric (having to be plugged in to recharge) and have moderately decent acceleration (0-60 in 15-20 seconds), and a long battery life of at least 800 miles.
   
   With those things, I think I could live fairly cheap and green for the rest of my life.

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