Making gold into lead

For the past 100 years, oil has given us the illusion of a free ride, an endless source of energy.

Of course we know better, but the idea is so tempting that we fell for it anyway. The peak in oil production, whether it happens tomorrow or in 20 years, will bring us back to earth, quite literally. There are persistent notions that all we need to do is find an energy source to replace oil and life will go on as usual. But if we had such a source, one as cheap and versatile and abundant as oil, we would be using it today. A list of problems with so-called alternatives makes painfully clear how far we will go to meet our energy hunger, and to what extent we are willing to saddle our children with the consequences.

Hour