.... mainly because it is so stupid. There are no good sources of energy. They ALL have issues and not one of us here has the answers.

1. Eventually oil, gas and coal will run out. I doubt its going to happen in the next century, or maybe 1000 years. But it will become increasingly difficult to obtain all three. We don't agree on when.
2. Obtaining and burning oil, gas and coal is not good for the environment. To deny this is stupid, ask most people who have lived near, or on top of, a well or mine. But exactly how bad is open to too much uninformed debate. We have got to figure out and come to some sort of agreement on this.
3. Alternative sources of energy also have issues: Batteries, nuclear generation of electricity, hydro-power, windmills, and even solar all have problems.

We need to start weighing the costs and benefits of each technology and do so with several timelines in mind. In the short run, say in the next 10 years, we are not going to stop using fossil fuels, and the new technologies are not ready, or may have too many unforeseen consequences, (like the burning battery hazard.)

I think we've got to stop being so emotional here. We do have to subsidize new technology and smart research and development into new technology. It can pay off in the long run. The government has subsidized new tech since nearly the dawn of the industrial age: NYS and the Erie Canal, the US government and the railroads thru the west. The TVA in the 1930s and rural electrification in the 1930-1970s. These were huge projects that simply were not built by private sector until government got involved because they were so risky. The Erie Canal was built only when NYS got involved in backing the bonds. Railroads were built because the Feds gave land and cash to the builders.

We have to admit though that there were and will continue to be failures and mistakes in this process. There were certainly casualties in the 19th Century as we over invested in rails. Maybe we ought to set up some thoughtful oversight and we ought to have a better process for selecting what we invest in, but we do need to make investments in future energy, and we need to do it now, even if the payoff isn't for a century, or more.