Alternative fuels may be deceiving

Finding long-term solutions to our diminishing supply of fossil fuels can be a deceiving ecological shell game. Our constantly growing demand for more and more energy will never be satisfied by technology alone. Ecological reality always plays into the equation when we try to redefine mother nature by using nuclear fuel, for example and making an environmental catastrophe in the process. There is always a trade off and there is no free lunch. The false hope that technology will solve our energy crisis can only be overcome through cutting back on demand. Simply put, we need to make deep cuts in our energy use and conserve to a sustainable level.

Recently in The Courier, Congressman Kuhl and Rob Price have editorialized over an overly glorified vision of alternative fuel being a major step in solving our energy crisis. The Brazilian model of using sugar cane to make ethanol is as far from converting switch grass to fuel, as it is growing pineapple here in New York. Switch grass is indigenous to the prairie and even if it would grow here there are ecological tradeoffs and unknown amounts of research to prove this developing technology useful.

We cannot overlook the social change that is needed to make a difference with our energy consumption. All the talk of switch grass will never help folks understand that sustainability depends on social change more than any emerging technology can provide. Emphasis needs to be placed the real issue of living in a much less material world and being more conscious of ways to use far less.

Dave Walczak Bath