January 7, 2002: Alternative Energy - Mark McLaughlin

Art Bell welcomes Mark McLaughlin, lead writer for the Alternative Energy Institute, for an extensive discussion on the future of energy and the environmental consequences of fossil fuel dependence. McLaughlin, a historian and researcher based at Lake Tahoe, outlines the health costs of air pollution, the threat of rapid climate change from greenhouse gas emissions, and the possibility that Gulf Stream disruption could turn Western Europe into a climate resembling Alaska.

The conversation turns to hydrogen fuel cells after General Motors unveils a prototype hydrogen vehicle at the Detroit Auto Show. McLaughlin explains that while the technology works, current methods of producing hydrogen still rely on fossil fuels, meaning the pollution simply moves from tailpipes to power plants. Art shares his own experience powering his Nevada home entirely with wind and solar energy, acknowledging the system cost far more than it will ever save him financially.

McLaughlin and Art wrestle with the core economic dilemma facing alternative energy: wind and solar are not yet cost-competitive with fossil fuels, and persuading the current generation to subsidize technologies that will only pay off decades later is a formidable political challenge. They also discuss peak oil predictions, European leadership on renewable energy policy, and government secrecy laws that could suppress breakthrough energy discoveries.