As Kevin Drum has so succinctly pointed out, President Obama's recently announced Cap and Trade policy, properly executed, will reduce overall emissions without overly tight management of how it is achieved. Further targeting through a modest carbon tax can supplement this. An increase in the gas tax can push consumption down. Investment in alternative generating technologies and in a smart grid for transmission is long overdue and badly needed.
In short, President Obama's energy policy is really, really good. I voted for him and I am still surprised at how good he has been in the past six weeks.
How can technology support his policy? Perhaps I should rephrase the question--how can society use technology to steer towards his policy ends?
Given what he is preparing to spend money on (weatherizing residences and pushing broadband infrastructure, and a more intelligent power grid), it appears that the easy win is broad encouragement of more working (and schooling) from home. This may be a bit easier than it would have been just a year ago, as recessions usually generate a higher start-up rate of small, home-based businesses. Distance learning and distance training are getting easier and more widely accepted, and can reduce education costs for students as well as institutions. Employers can retain more staff by spending less on infrastructure.
What am I missing?
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