The energy debate typically consists of three camps who alternately argue that energy security is not necessary to worry about, that it is a threat but it can be addressed through developing non-OPEC sources of oil, or that it can only be addressed through conservation measures. The contending "relax, keep pumping, and ride your bicycle" camps all get it wrong, argues Vaitheeswaran (the energy and environmental correspondent for The Economist ). The solution to energy security, he believes, lies in the promotion of fuel cells and other technologies that will be unleashed by liberalized market forces, leading to a world in which micropower will be the number one source of energy for households and industry. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran is The Economist's Environment and Energy Correspondent, covering developments in politics, economics, business, and technology as they relate to energy issues. He has received awards for his journalism, and previously wrote about Latin America as the magazine's regional bureau chief in Mexico City. Born in Madras, India, he grew up in Cheshire, Connecticut and graduated from MIT with a degree in mechanical engineering. He now lives in New York.