The participants in this discussion came up with a number of responses to the environment/development question, generally focusing on specific ideas that could be part of a solution rather than dealing with the question as a whole. These ideas ranged from greater use of conventional fuels and technologies to much more creative suggestions that have yet to be demonstrated as feasible. Major threads of the discussion dealt with the production of alternative transportation fuels and a debate about the validity of the scientific consensus regarding the connection between human-generated emissions of carbon dioxide and global warming.

The comments reflected a strong emphasis on the need for individuals and local communities to take responsibility for their energy choices and for changing what was seen as a wasteful attitude toward energy use, especially in U.S. society. The respondents had less confidence in the leadership of government at various levels to effect change, unless citizens stood up and countered the influence of special interest groups, particularly those that benefit from the status quo. One useful role identified for government was to promote education programs that would alert citizens to the importance of energy issues, as well as options for addressing them.

As noted above, the environment/development question is raised in the context of a 2004 World Energy Outlook forecast that world energy demand will grow by nearly 60% by 2030 due to population growth and economic development. Thus, proposed solutions must not only address the environmental impacts of current energy use patterns - which are dominated by developed countries - but must also be acceptable and able to be implemented in developing countries, which are expected to dominate the growth in energy consumption in coming decades.

Guest commentaries

The two guest commentaries helped frame the issue. Pete Geddes, Executive Vice President of the Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment, noted that it is self-defeating to adopt environmental policies that limit economic growth, since only developed countries will be able to apply advanced technologies to the efficient use of energy and the reduction of pollution.

Jonathan Lash, President of the World Resources Institute, agreed that energy is essential to eradicate poverty and to provide a better quality of life for people in developing countries but argued that the issue of global warming is so urgent that the United States must embark on a 25-year phased program to develop a fundamentally new energy system that is much less
carbon-intensive. Respondents in many cases reflected the same philosophical split on the urgency of the environmental problems, particularly climate change, and on the role of government. In its "Topic Details" section, willyoujoinus.com poses five questions that provide a convenient organizing structure:

1. What should leadership - political, business and grassroots - do to foster awareness, vision, thoughtful assessment, creativity, political will, and cooperation?
2. How should technology be developed and deployed to increase efficiency and reduce the negative impacts of finding, producing and delivering energy?
3. How much of a contribution will conservation, technology and alternative energy sources each make to a sustainable environment?
4. What is the role of regulation in ensuring that all companies meet minimum public expectations, and where is the balance between not enough regulation and too much?
   
5. What role/responsibility does the consumer have in protecting the environment? Some of the major threads of the discussion are summarized below as they relate to these questions.