🚀 go-pugleaf

Just wanted to poke my nose in...

While I agree with your plan in principle, one thing you need to
realize is that it won't happen any time soon.  What you propose
is a massive undertaking; an almost complete retooling of an
economy.  Oil and gas undeniably make up a major portion of the
world's economy.  To have a major player suddenly change its
energy consumption method would have drastic and unfortunate
effects upon economic and political stability.

I'm not advocating remaining on a fossil-fuel footing, but 
merely taking a pragmatic view.  The world's oil companies
are not interested in changing their product because it is
a safe sell, and billions of dollars has been poured into
the mechanics of producing and delivering it to consumers.  To
suggest to them that they destroy it all and rebuild it to
accomodate another raw material would, at this point in time,
get quite a few doors slammed in your face.  Eventually, 
something like this MUST take place, as consumption greatly
outpaces production of the raw material (Earth don't do
instant gratification...).

I would also bet a buck on the fact that a plan such as yours
has been carefully and completely researched and designed by
the big oil companies, ready to be implemented at such a time
as it becomes absolutely critical, like, when they run out
of raw material.  

The only way to implement this change before then is to 
manipulate the free market system.  I am reminded of the
passage from Orwell's "1984" in which the hero ponders the
"Proles", noticing that they have the power to control their
own destinies, but they just aren't aware of it.  We, as 
consumers, are free market proletariats, but we have the 
power to "control the means of production" (does this mean 
*I* am a commie, too??).  To do this, we must merely put our
dollars in the right places.  This means buying "appliances"
that run on all or mostly ethanol fuels (just to illustrate
your point).  If enough of the consuming public does this, 
it will force the issue:  You can't make a buck selling widgets
if nobody's buying...  

But hey, without folks trying things, nothing would happen.  Press
on with your research; it's truly a worthy cause.

-- 
Eric N. Valor
tele1@eternity.corp.sgi.com
paladin@darkside.com

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