The exhaust of some new cars is actually cleaner than the air in many cities. Ironically, technological progress seems to favor gasoline. The only immediately practical alternative is the hybrid, epitomized by Toyota's new Prius, with a gasoline engine that powers electric motors. Alternative fuels' biggest hurdle is replacing the enormous clockwork infrastructure already in place to create and deliver gasoline. Fossil fuels drive the digital age.
Electricity is the currency of the digital age.
Not only do all information devices depend on it, but increasingly all types of equipment are electric. The overall effects of this transformation are clear. Even the steel industry has electrified and automated through microprocessors. Two-thirds comes from fossil fuels, mostly coal. Competition increases bills, but also services.