The future is here. Thank you once again for continuing the very important Greens debate. I found M Houlding' immensely entertaining. Mike Kuipers von Lande was an absolute delight.
Equating the Greens to past inhumane communist regimes in some ‘red in the bed' McCarthyism is hysterical.
Kicking wind power into touch as a viable energy source alternative is missing the point.
Many countries abandoning wind power generation, for a variety of reasons, is primarily due to their energy needs being ludicrously high, fuelling industries not sustainable long term.
Wind power is only one possible strategy. The leader of the greatest capitalist nation in the world, the US, stated 'the old oil-based system needs to be dismantled to prepare for sustainable, renewable alternatives while we still have oil reserves”.
Yes, no-one has a precise crystal ball to when we'll run out. One alternative: current conventional wisdom is plug-in electric vehicles - the clean, sleek cars of tomorrow. Honda, Toyota and Hyundai all aim to make hydrogen fuel-cell passenger vehicles, to run on compressed hydrogen, emitting only water vapour. Yes, they're not without problems in design and implementation, but the same can be said of oil exploitation's early years.
We could lead the world, but it does require a complete rethink of systems and practices. The question is: Who is capable of leading us in the bold moves?

P Knights, Mount Maunganui.