"Building enough wind farms, damming adequate number of rivers and growing sufficient biomass to produce ample kilowatts to make a difference in meeting global energy demands would involve a huge invasion of nature, according to Jesse Ausubel, a researcher at the Rockefeller University in New York."
Is it just me or does anyone else detect a problem with a negative report on renewable energy originating from a University that bears the name of the family that is synonymous with Big Oil and depends on oil revenue for a big portion of their money?
Maybe you cannot meet all of the energy needs from renewable sources without radical upheaval - but much of the rest of the world seems to be doing a good job of meeting a significant portion of their energy needs through renewable and green energy sources alongside energy conservation. And there is a lot that could be done even in super-crowded New York City to help reduce energy use and utilize renewable energy short of using "an area the size of Connecticut" (I would suggest Jersy, instead! lol) . There may be a shortage of land for solar and wind devices, but there is no shortage of rooftops.
Every kilowatt of renewable energy from wind, sun, geothermal, biomass, etc., and every kilowatt of energy we save by conservation (and we are by far the most gluttonous energy hogs on the planet) is a kilowatt that does not come from oil or coal and a kilowatt whose production and use entails much less pollution.
In many instances it will also be a kilowatt of energy that does not line the pockets of the Rockefellers.