Green Fades to Black

The problem with simplistic solutions to complex problems is that the "solutions" end up creating "unintended consequences". In a complex system it is hard to understand how all the pieces interact. Models simplify and give you an "answer" but if they simplify too much the "answer" is useless misinformation.

Here's an example from the war on greenhouse gases front. The following is a bit from a Reuters news report:

Czech grid warns will block solar, wind plants

PRAGUE, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The Czech power grid operator warned on Wednesday that a boom in solar and wind power plants could threaten stability of supplies, forcing it to take such plants offline, a warning to investors in new capacity.

One reason why technological "change" is slower than most people expect is that it isn't obvious how to put the pieces together. But fanatics can't be bothered by details. They see a "solution" and want to mandate it. This sometimes ends up costing more than the putative "problem" that the fanatic proposed to fix.

There is nothing wrong with caution. And supporting innovation and experimentation is great. But to mandate a "solution" -- before it is utterly obvious that it truly fixes a problem, and is scalable, and economically affordable -- is to set yourself up for heart-breaking failure.