Looking for something on another forum, I dredged up an old (spring '06) discussion on confidence level of climate models, whether we are at or near peak oil point or not, costs of limiting emission of greenhouse gases, that sort of things, including an article in SciAm on "Solar Grand Plan". It strikes me that, compared to trillions to be spent on bailing out gambling operations going under the name of "investment banks" or car makers that just now awoke to the third millennium, 400-500G$ subsidies over several decades the article claims would suffice to wean USA from both import oil and domestic coal really sound as peanuts. Not to mention research budgets of ITER and similar.