Energy nuts and bolts

摘要

Vaclav Smil's "U.S. Energy Policy: The Need for Radical Departures" (Issues,rnSummer 2009) is filled with wise insights and judgments. However, the use of vague language detracts from the article's value for public policy (for example, "vigorous quest," "relentless enhance-ment," "fundamental reshaping," "responsible residential zoning," and "serious commitment") These kinds of broad, unbounded adjectives appear in numerous reports on energy policy nowadays. They give the illusion of meaningful policy prescription, when in fact nothing useful can follow without the hard work of drawing boundaries on the scope, cost, and timing of programs-work that presumably is thought to be so trivial that it can be left to legislative bodies, nongovernmental organizations, and corporations to fill in the details.