THE TORTOISE PROBLEM

摘要

In his appraisal of the book Powering the Dream (Reviews, Summer 2011], George Black explains that author Alexis Madrigal challenges us to make a choice: "What's more important ... phasing out fossil fuels or saving the threatened desert tortoise?" The question could have been phrased this way: "Which is more important: phasing out fossil fuels, thereby saving the earth from global-warming disaster, or saving the desert tortoise for the moment and eventually losing the earth, including the desert tortoise?" The supply of fossil fuels is limited, yet our demand