C H A P T E R 10

How Would You Vote? Should coal use be phased out over the next 20 years? Do the advantages of relying on conventional oil as the worlds major energy resource outweigh its disadvantages? Should nuclear power be phased out in the country where you live over the next 20 to 30 years? Should we greatly increase our dependence on burning solid biomass to provide heat and produce electricity? Should the country where you live greatly increase its dependence on wind power? Should the world greatly increase its dependence on large-scale dams for producing electricity? Should the world greatly increase its dependence on solar cells for producing electricity? Should the country where you live greatly increase its emphasis on improving energy efficiency? Should the country where you live greatly increase its dependence on geothermal energy to provide heat and to produce electricity? Do the advantages of producing and burning hydrogen as an energy source outweigh the disadvantages? Do the advantages of using liquid ethanol as fuel outweigh its disadvantages? Do the advantages of using liquid methanol as a fuel outweigh the disadvantages?

Should the government increase taxes on fossil fuels and offset this by reducing income and payroll taxes and providing an energy safety net for the poor?