2. What was the Kyoto protocol? What was its purpose?

3. Why have most of the countries that signed the Kyoto protocol failed to meet their targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions?

4. What happened in the former Soviet countries in the 1990s that enabled them to meet their Kyoto targets? Was this a good thing for those countries? Why/why not?

5. The author compares fossil fuel use to borrowing against "the illusory equity in our homes." Is home equity always illusory? Is cheap fuel illusory? Explain.

6. Why won't wind and solar power replace oil any time soon? Why doesn't the author think fuel-efficient cars are the answer? What about "green jobs"?

A favorite saying among economists is "There are no solutions; only tradeoffs."

7. What tradeoff is implied in the title of the article? Can this tradeoff can be avoided? If not, what choice should be made? What does the author think? Cite evidence from the article to support your answer.

8. How has the recession harmed people in ways beyond the trivial examples mentioned in the article (such as causing them to "turn down the heat on their swimming pools" or buy less "throwaway junk")?

9. Besides material goods, what are some other benefits of economic growth and prosperity? (Example: improved health and nutrition)

10. Is there a way to reverse economic growth without causing a significant reduction in people's standard of living? Explain.

11. What would happen if we banned all air travel? What if we raised the price of fuel high enough to force everyone to cut their driving in half?

12. Given the author's pessimism about the possiblity of a solution to global warming, why does he express hope that the upcoming Copenhagen conference will produce a "meaningful worldwide climate agreement." Is this a realistic hope? Why/why not?