‘Energy: The First Reality,’ Wrote Paul Tsongas

Concerning Marjorie’s latest post, here’s what Paul Tsongas wrote about energy in “The Road From Here: Liberalism and Realities in the 1980s,” published in 1981:

“Oil is a finite, diminishing resource. These six words tell us almost everything. The preservation of America and the world requires that the facts be known and understood by every schoolboy and schoolgirl—and their parents. It’s no easy task. …

“There is no way out of a nuclear option in the middle term. The fact that it is a controversial source of energy (and potentially uneconomic, due to delays, engineering problems, etc.) does not lessen its practical inevitability. Otherwise, we are back in the oil or coal bind, which is potentially worse. In the face of such a set of Faustian choices, it seems clear that we need a mix of energy sources, and neither nuclear energy nor coal can, or should, be eliminated at this point.”

The first quote is from the chapter titled “Energy: The First Reality” and the second is from Chapter 1, “The Road to Reassessment.” I recommend reading both chapters. He was ahead of the curve on this issue.