If we started today to replace the most inefficient power plants with the most efficient it would probably take several decades to accomplish this. We would also have to include the energy and resources needed to replace the existing infrastructure.
Similarly with transport. If we had 80MPG cars on the market tomorrow it would be a decade before the average fuel economy would shift significantly.
Mass transit projects are slow to implement and build. The NYC Second Ave subway has been in planning for 30 years, even now, when work is underway, it won't be finished for many years. Imagine putting in a viable mass transit system in parts of the US Southwest. How long would that take?
My point is that such efforts should be encouraged, but that a more pressing issue is to plan for amelioration. The problems with New Orleans were known in advance, but defensive measures weren't taken. Even now there is no coherent plan as to what to do next. Now extrapolate this to thousands of coastal communities around the world.
Just today there is a NY Times story about moving a lighthouse further inland on Nantucket island because of cliff erosion. This one (rather pointless) project will cost $4 million.
History has shown that humans are capable of great folly and I don't think this aspect of our nature has changed. There is some evidence that public opinion has shifted so that it is more concerned about environmental matters, but the leadership needed to harness this concern is not yet in evidence. Policies not Politics ---- Daily Landscape
