I think that finding an alternative to oil for automotive fuel will help to extend our ability to produce plastic and nylon from oil.

I agree that we should just let the markets be and hope that governments don’t muck it up. But that’s what always seems to happen. I think that the entrepreneurs of the world have already given us alternative energy in various forms. The problem that I see is that the barriers for entry into the energy business must be absolutely astounding. Another problem is that you have to have government contacts on your side, and you better hope that their campaigns aren’t being funded by anybody in the oil industry. For example, do some research on ultra narrow vehicles (UNVs) and you’ll see that the state of Washington (I think it was Washington) had to pass special legislation to enable 2 UNVs to travel side-by-side in one lane.

The point I am trying to make here is that often times the solution to the problem is already there, it just needs to be implemented. UNVs would solve our traffic problems for 20 years IMHO. Do you see any incentives for them? No, you get incentives for hybrids and more car pool lanes, which are a complete waste. Too many interest groups would lose out if we stopped building wide autos that ran on gasoline and are driven on roads that need to constantly be improved and widened to keep up with a growing population.

Never count out the environmental-architectural-engineering-construction complex!!! Collectively, they can be a very influential and powerful voting bloc!