Problems caused by our current consumption habits and fuel use:
Pollution.
Increasing costs, due to increasing demand and limited supply.
Global warming.
Environmental impact of fuel production (pollution, habitat destruction, etc).
Waste disposal problems (pollution from landfills, costs of disposal).
We seem have jumped straight to "switching from oil to ethanol will fix everything".
This is not true. It doesn't address most of the problems. And there are better
ways to fix the problems.
Strategies to fix the problems (starting with the quickest, easiest and most effective):
Conservation.
Easy to do and quick to implement.
Carpooling, better public transit, gasoline taxes.
Recycling.
Reduced Impact for the Same Result.
If you buy an apple that was grown in the next county, instead of in Chile,
you get the same result with far less consumption of energy and resources.
If you attend a business meeting via conference-call instead of flying
across the country, you achieve the same result with far less impact
on the environment.
Persuade rest of world to avoid USA's mistakes.
Better Technology.
Higher fuel-mileage standards for cars and trucks; cleaner-running diesel engines;
hybrid cars, etc.
Business Incentives.
A manufacturer should be responsible for the life-cycle costs of a product:
when a car is sold, the cost of eventually recycling or disposing of it should
be deposited into a protected fund. The money comes back out when the
car is disposed of at the end of its life. This will encourage manufacturers to make
cars that are more easily recycled, and encourage proper disposal of cars
at end of life.
Alternative Fuels.
Culture Changes.
Make simplicity "cool".
Reduce advertising that is intended to whip us into a frenzy of consumption
and competition with the neighbors.
Make population limitation "cool"; why not derive happiness from interacting
with other people's children, instead of having your own ?
Avoid Destructive or Pointless Consumption.
Avoid war, wanton waste (wasted food), stupid consumption (auto racing, air shows).