Allan Sloan of Fortune magazine favors a ?heavy? tax on electricity, gasoline, and other energy sources. But you don?t have to agree with him on that point to see the truth in this assessment:
It’s much easier to look for a magic solution than it is to adapt to reality. Take energy, for instance. These days “clean energy,” also known as “green energy,” is being presented as the magic solution for global warming, our dependence on foreign oil, and the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Maybe even for warts and bad breath. A typical example of the hype, from one of President Obama’s speeches about BP: “The tragedy unfolding on our coast is the most painful and powerful reminder yet that the time to embrace a clean energy future is now.”
But embracing a future — whatever that means — isn’t the same as solving a problem.
And what about the obsession with green?
Green energy, which is promoted endlessly by business as well as the government and various pols, is a great idea. It sounds great, and it would be great. But it’s being way oversold and will take years — or decades — to have any major effect.
