Departments

Past and Future Universe -- Criminal Wit -- From Mite to Man

Dumbing Down
The new Illiteracy--a challenge to the body politic?

News Scan Briefs

Letters

The Inelegant Universe
Two new books argue that it is time for string theory to give way

Tall Task

• Old MacDonald's Pharm
• Thinking of Child's Play
• The Next Generation
• Missing No Longer
• Mach 3 Hunter-Killer
• Hot Trails

• Fake, Mistake, Replicate

• Requiem for a Heavyweight

• Lower Fertility: a Wise Investment

• Cooling Our Heels

• The Net's Real Security Problem

 

Features

Fueling Our Transportation Future
New technologies, lighter vehicles and alternative fuels can lower greenhouse gas releases from cars and trucks
By John B. Heywood

A Plan to Keep Carbon in Check
Getting a grip on greenhouse gases is daunting but doable. The technologies already exist. But there is no time to lose
By Robert H. Socolow and Stephen W. Pacala

Plan B for Energy
If efficiency improvements and incremental advances in today's technologies fail to halt global warming, could revolutionary new carbon-free energy sources save the day? Don't count on it--but don't count it out, either
By W. Wayt Gibbs

An Efficient Solution
Wasting less energy is the quickest, least expensive way to stem carbon emissions
By Eberhard K. Jochem

The Nuclear Option
A threefold expansion of nuclear power could contribute significantly to staving off climate change by avoiding one billion to two billion tons of carbon emissions annually
By John M. Deutch and Ernest J. Moniz

What to Do about Coal
Cheap, plentiful coal is expected to fuel power plants for the foreseeable future, but can we keep it from devastating the environment?
By David G. Hawkins, Daniel A. Lashof and Robert H. Williams

High Hopes for Hydrogen
Using hydrogen to fuel cars may eventually slash oil consumption and carbon emissions, but it will take some time
By Joan Ogden

A Climate Repair Manual
Global warming is a reality. Innovation in energy technology and policy are sorely needed if we are to cope
By Gary Stix

The Rise of Renewable Energy
Solar cells, wind turbines and biofuels are poised to become major energy sources. New policies could dramatically accelerate that evolutio
By Daniel M. Kammen