It’s pretty clear that drill, baby, drill offers, at best, the relief of a chocolate bar to a mouth full of cavities. While there are many less rotten alternatives to drilling, deciding which alternative(s) to pursue requires a discussion about government’s role in energy policy. Such discussions have no place amid our current election fascination with flag pins, lipstick, elitism, and who has best co-opted the word “change.” So, allow us to offer our top five list.

You can put lipstick on an empty milkshake, but it’s still an empty milkshake.

During her recent homecoming speech in Alaska, Gov. Palin rallied the crowd into an oily frenzy, cheering: “drill, baby, drill”. Sen. McCain, Pres. Bush, and a host of others (Democrats too) have been arguing for increased oil drilling in coastal waters. The hope is that more oil will provide relief from high gasoline prices and dependence on hostile nations like Iran. Right? Hogwash. This article gives five reasons why we should NOT drill, baby, drill.

The pain of escalating fuel prices is undeniable. Sadly, Americans are avoiding real solutions and warming to gimmicky plots, such as drilling off our coastlines for more oil (see BusinessWeek).  In an odd turn to the energy debate, a prayer group in Washington DC is claiming credit for the recent sharp drop in the US price of petrol.

Climate change is real and getting worse. Sunday, the Guardian reported that scientists predict ice-free summers in the North Pole by 2013. America is a leading offender, emitting ~20% of the world’s carbon dioxide every year. Here we answer seven questions that shed light on America’s dirty energy habit.

Oil prices have more than doubled in the past two years and nearly tripled in the past five. Conflict in Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan have escalated tensions, and with it, the price of oil. Consumer confidence is shaken by unprecedented prices at the pump. What year do we find ourselves in? 1982.

The average hybrid customer five years ago cared more about the greenness of the car than how quickly the investment was recouped.  Today’s consumers, however, are desperately seeking ways to save on gas.

Nice try for an oil guy. T. Boone Pickens, the Texas oilman and billionaire, recently announced his ambitious plan to wean America off foreign oil. One part of his plan is smart; the other less so. This article explains why.

In a speech delivered on Thursday in Washington DC, Al Gore challenged the nation to generate 100% of its energy with clean and renewable energy by 2018. If successful, his plan would sharply decrease global warming emissions while improving economic security in ten short years. However, the challenges are vast. Below are six of the biggest, technical, economic, and political challenges that will make Gore fail.

Last November, OPEC members create a US$750 million fund to do research on carbon capture and storage. Earlier this year Abu Dhabi commits $15bn in sustainable development projects targeting solar, wind and hydrogen power. And last month the Saudis finalize a deal joining forces with IBM to develop new technologies in solar power, seawater desalination, and recyclable materials.  Wait a minute…what’s going on here?

For all the talk of Chinese demand driving up oil prices, Califonia consumes slightly more gasoline than all of China at 20 billion gallons per year. On a per capita basis, California burn about 40 times as much gas than China. Yet, the trend is for Chinese demand to grow rapidly, and this is likely to continue for many years. If you think prices are high now, imagine what would happen if Chinese consumers were to consume oil as quickly as Californians on a per capita basis. Maybe then Californians would start changing their driving decisions.

Get the full story here

Et tu, Arnold? On January 31, 2008, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the prominent California Republican, endorsed John McCain. Just six months later, Schwarzenegger sharply criticized the plan to open new drilling lands as “blowing smoke” at the American people, a plan which McCain and Bush have strongly supported. In an even more surprising move ensured to rile Republican ranks, Schwarzenegger praised Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, for his leadership on climate change.