Quote Originally Posted by OakLeaf View Post
No, I'd like to see them replaced and enhanced by clean jobs - sustainable energy and, not incidentally, family planning. Jobs vs. environment is a fallacy that's been used very effectively by some industries, but it's completely false. There is actually the potential for many more and more permanent jobs in sustainable energy than in resource extraction.

As the old adage goes, "The trouble is, every time a forest falls, the GDP goes up. With every oil spill, the GDP goes up. Every time a cancer patient is diagnosed, the GDP goes up. Is this how we measure economic progress? Economists must learn to subtract."
I agree with the sentiment but I think the issues are very, very complex. The need to move away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy sources is a decades old conversation. At minimum back to the oil embargo of the early 70's. So why haven't we been able to solve this problem in the intervening decades? Is it too hard of an engineering problem? Do we simply lack the political will? Can we have our cake and eat it too, or are we going to have to make some difficult decisions?

I have yet to hear of a magic switch we can flip to set us on the right track to sustainability.