More Inconvenient Truths About Algore's Stupid Movie

So what is a conservative to do in the face of the global warming hype tsunami? First, we could consider that we've got three problems that are all related which could have a common solution: limited fossil energy resources; dollars from oil imports going to support unfriendly governments; and climate change.

In order to remain a part of the policy discussion, we need to frame this discussion in a way that places us in a superior position to the Left. We need to bring market forces to bear here. The Left will always fail at envisioning functional market solutions to public policy problems. So they've left us this opening.

By framing the discussion as one of energy security, we can advance a policy that has the virtue of being in our own national self interest while also preserving the market as a means of providing energy. We can tout the side benefit of cutting CO2 emissions while taking credit for finally making the country energy secure.

A cap and trade scheme for carbon emissions paired with a tariff on imported oil are the best chances we have of creating a market based solution to the three problems, even if many of us only accept one of the three as a problem. Whether the new energy comes from wind, nuclear, solar or from efficiency is for the market to resolve.

While a tariff is supposedly anti-free trade, the cartel which controls most of the petroleum sold on the world market does not operate by market forces. Applying a tariff against OPEC nations should be defensible given global trading rules. And it would limit the amount of money sent to Hugo Chavez.

A new technology to keep your eyes on is algae recycling of CO2 into biomass. If one or more of the processes being tested can produce affordable fuel, we could run our entire transportation system from the biomass grown off the exhaust from our current fleet of coal power plants. Both cap and trade and a tariff on imported oil would encourage this technology's adoption.