[Sharon Astyk] I often don't bother arguing with the "Drill, Baby, drill" folks - the reason is that while I think they are misguided and their lack of understanding of the possibilities of US oil are embarrassing, they also have a point - as we get further down the energy curve, most of our available energy resources will be exploited if it is economically viable to recover the oil or the gas. It simply will happen - environmental sensitivity will not be a major factor.

As you may remember, I've argued before that Americans will cheerfully shovel live baby harp seals into their furnaces, while explaining to the themselves that live baby harp seals enjoy being burned alive if that's what it takes to keep them warm and their economy running. Drilling in ANWR, [Arctic National Wildlife Refuge] running pipelines across just about anything, or burning coal despite the climate impact are not things that most people will give up - GIVEN no accessible alternative. Most present-day considerations of environmental sensitivity for most Americans are considerations from a position of comfort and security. We can say that "drill baby, drill" is misguided position because we aren't short of energy - yet. The category of people who are prepared to give up their cars and other luxuries in order to protect the abstract "environment" is actually quite small.
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All of which sounds cynical, doesn't it? The funny thing is that it is and it isn't. I'm the great believer that people can and will change their lifestyles - and I believe strongly that if baby harp seals aren't the only choice, people will happily skip the awkward self-justifications for evil. Most of us, raised as slave owners would probably prefer to believe we would have been ardent abolitionists, but that's probably not true. Instead, we too would have parroted the repulsive justifications for things that are deeply immoral but that are economically necessary. That is, once we depend on something, the justifications are already in place for all sorts of moral failings.