>Indeed, I didn't dispute the disaster either, and concur - screwing
>the working class and the poor seems like a bad idea and won't go over
>well.
>
>Sweden announced a plan to eliminate oil dependency by 2020, and it
>consists of (http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/3212/a/51058):
> * Tax relief for converting from oil heating to renewable
> * More renewable energy: increasing green certificates, investment
> increase in renewables by Vattenfall
> * Renewable fuel car perks: tax exemptions for renewable fuels,
> free parking, etc.
> * R&D funding for renewables
>
>France is cutting oil use by 2020, via 3rd generation reactor to come
>online in 2012
>(http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060105/sc_nm/energy_france_nuclear_dc)
Funny you should pick two countries where gas costs $5/gal.
This "screwing the poor" business sounds like something an oil lobbyist would say. The American masses consume a lot of energy, and if we're going to use less of it (assuming no techno breakthrough is imminent), then the poor and working class will have to use less energy. The "screwing" part could be addressed through income tax rebates, like I said.
I realize there are enormous political and practical obstacles to getting serious about this, but I can't think of anything more urgent, can you?
Doug