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More on Samuelson

The Robert Samuelson column on climate change that we linked to on Wednesday is generating some interesting discussion concerning alternatives in energy policy going forward.

Donald Sensing reviewed a number of alternative energy options, and found each to be individually wanting (crossposted at Winds of Change). In response to Sensing, Marc Danziger says that we really shouldn't be looking for one big solution, but rather a series of smaller ones:
I don't think we need a Big Bang energy solution - yet.

I do think there are a lot of little ones we could do - while still leading our suburban lifestyles - that would get us a lot of the way there.

Where would you find 3% in our energy budget?
Glenn Reynolds picks up on the same point over at Tech Central Station:
Technologies don't have to provide a silver bullet to be worthwhile, or even revolutionary. Silver-bullet claims can lead to unnecessary disappointment, while silver-bullet expectations may cause us to under-appreciate technologies that are truly revolutionary.
All interesting stuff, and worth some of your time.

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Comments

Anonymous said…
I believe that I am the engineer that Samuelson refers to in his article who suggests thorium as the basic future energy source. Samuelson and I talked for some time about it last summer after he wrote an article suggesting the need for "acceptable nuclear energy" and I wrote him and described the benefits of the thorium-fueled liquid-fluoride reactor. Apparently I was unable to convince him, but he remembers my suggestion.
Anonymous said…
Here was Samuelson's quote that led to our discussion, from an article called "Greenhouse Hypocrisy" that he wrote last summer:

"Any technology solution would probably involve some acceptable form of nuclear power or an economic way of removing CO2 from burned fossil fuels."

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