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That's true, there's no silver bullet. We need alternative energy, but it can never replace fossil fuels. So we need a combination of conservation, efficiency, alternative energy, and a reduction in consumption. Btw, you're wrong about the cows, read this:

http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2010/01/review-vegetarian-myth.html

The main issue with biofuels isn't really food or cost. It's about land use, energy efficiency and sustainability. Brazil is usually given as a great example, but they have only 8 million cars, which use a maximum of 25 percent biofuel, the rest is still gasoline or diesel. And Brazil is one of the countries that is deforesting the fastest in the world. The US has 250 million cars. There's not enough land left in the world to clear to make enough biofuels for that.

http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2010/01/biofuels.html

Paper books will always live. One the one hand, there are still a billion people in the world without access to regular electricity. On the other, we might have limited resources in the future to make new electronic devices, due to peak oil and climate change. Yet, we can always make paper on a small, local scale if necessary. But electronic devices require a large industrial infrastructure.

After all, we have thousands of years of written human history, but only a tiny moment of digital history. It would be presumptuous of us to assume the latter will last longer than the former.

http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2009/10/ebooks-versus-paper.html

We did it for WWII. We rationed, cut back and completely changed the economy virtually overnight. In the UK they did the same, while they actually had bombs falling on them.

http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2009/12/world-war-ii.html

Guess what? We can probably solve this problem with half the effort our grandparents gave to secure our freedom. Don't our grandchilren deserve as much? No one's talking about caves or the stone age here, please don't be silly.

Sure, one example is an expansion of rail, especially electrified rail, so we can get a lot of cars and trucks off the road. More passengers and cargo can be transported that way much more efficiently.

http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2009/11/case-for-rail.html

We can also use various forms of alternative energy at the local level to provide enough to meet our needs, though without the level of consumption we have today.

http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2010/01/alternative-energy.html

Instead of just focusing on recycling, we need to focus more on reduction and reuse, there is the possibility for massive savings there:

http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2009/09/recycling-is-self-destructive.html

And here's some other low hanging fruit we seem to be ignoring:

http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2009/11/low-hanging-fruit.html

Sure, one example is an expansion of rail, especially electrified rail, so we can get a lot of cars and trucks off the road. More passengers and cargo can be transported that way much more efficiently.

http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2009/11/case-for-rail.html

We can also use various forms of alternative energy at the local level to provide enough to meet our needs, though without the level of consumption we have today.

http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2010/01/alternative-energy.html

Instead of just focusing on recycling, we need to focus more on reduction and reuse, there is the possibility for massive savings there:

http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2009/09/recycling-is-self-destructive.html

And here's some other low hanging fruit we seem to be ignoring:

http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2009/11/low-hanging-fruit.html

Sure, one example is an expansion of rail, especially electrified rail, so we can get a lot of cars and trucks off the road. More passengers and cargo can be transported that way much more efficiently.

http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2009/11/case-for-rail.html

We can also use various forms of alternative energy at the local level to provide enough to meet our needs, though without the level of consumption we have today.

http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2010/01/alternative-energy.html

Instead of just focusing on recycling, we need to focus more on reduction and reuse, there is the possibility for massive savings there:

http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2009/09/recycling-is-self-destructive.html

And here's some other low hanging fruit we seem to be ignoring:

http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2009/11/low-hanging-fruit.html

Sure, one example is an expansion of rail, especially electrified rail, so we can get a lot of cars and trucks off the road. More passengers and cargo can be transported that way much more efficiently.

http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2009/11/case-for-rail.html

We can also use various forms of alternative energy at the local level to provide enough to meet our needs, though without the level of consumption we have today.

http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2010/01/alternative-energy.html

Instead of just focusing on recycling, we need to focus more on reduction and reuse, there is the possibility for massive savings there:

http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2009/09/recycling-is-self-destructive.html

And here's some other low hanging fruit we seem to be ignoring:

http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2009/11/low-hanging-fruit.html