The Future Fuels Some Energetic Imaginings

Re “Mining the Imagination for New Energy,” Opinion, July 25: Alan Weisman thoughtfully highlights one of the major concerns facing world civilization over the next century: our rapidly increasing world population with its concomitant, exponentially increasing use of energy, coupled with a greatly diminished availability of oil, the lifeblood of our civilization.

Weisman mentions a variety of imaginative “long shot” possible solutions, none of which appear very practical, but does not consider the obvious one -- to decrease the world population to the point where it will be in equilibrium with renewable energy sources: solar energy, wind, biomass, geothermal energy and hydroelectric.

I estimate that the world population would have to decrease, over the next century, from a peak of about 8 billion to about 2 billion to provide a comfortable existence for all. There are two ways of accomplishing this. First there are the classic ways of history, harnessing the three horsemen of the apocalypse: war, famine and pestilence (which currently appear to be in full operation in many parts of the world).

Or the more civilized program of population control, which I admit is politically highly unlikely, even though it may be much more feasible than Weisman’s “long shot” approaches.

Joseph Friedman

Huntington Beach

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Hats off to Weisman for an exciting column about an even more exciting potential future effort on the part of the United States.

It is that kind of outlook that can make things happen. One can only hope that either or both of the presidential contenders pick up on this promise.

John Everett

Agoura Hills

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Eureka! My imagination conjures up visions of buff legions exercising at health spas where they activate electrical generators connected to their stationary bicycles, treadmills and weight machines.

An hour a day should provide enough energy to light a dim bulb long enough to read the editorial section.

Aida Pavletich

Los Angeles