Yeah, the old TAANSTAFL again. But at least we can start buying diesels again in the US in 2008. I agree that we (the US) are often our own worst enemy. There is unfortunately no manmade entity (wind farm, grain to ethanol, nuclear power plant) that doesn't have some kind of footprint. For example, wind farms occasionally kill birds, yet raptors love to nest on the tops of the towers. Nuclear plants do not make CO2 but there is that pesky waste problem. Grain ethanol is short cycle carbon, but using it takes food away. Ultimately, the answer will be a combination of things we may not even be able to foresee yet.

Conservation is always an option. Keep your car tuned up and your tires inflated properly, insulate your house, buy low-energy appliances.

(I'm not sure how this morphed into an energy thread, but it's neat.) Did you know that appliances with clocks or memory use up to 5% of the power they use when in active use?