Gore: 5 Steps to Save Planet

The road to energy efficiency is paved with the same solutions needed to fix the economic crisis, Al Gore writes in a New York Times op-ed. Dismissing proposals for domestic drilling, the climate crusader says, “We simply cannot any longer base the strategy for human survival on a cynical and self-interested solution,” and offers a 5-part plan to get started now:

1. President-elect Obama and the new Congress should offer incentives to encourage construction of thermal plants and wind farms.
2. Plan and construct a “unified national smart grid” for the transport of renewable electricity.
3. Help Detroit’s Big Three automakers and startups boost production of plug-in hybrids.
4. Retrofit buildings with better insulation and energy-efficient windows and lighting.
5. Cap carbon emissions and replace the Kyoto treaty with more effective protocol.

(More Al Gore stories.)