If the United States had a stable population an argument can be made that we can reduce our energy consumption. But even if we cut our energy consumption 10 or maybe even 20 per cent, we are still using way too much energy in the face of peak oil and global warming. And it will not be as easy to reduce energy consumption as many make it out to be. We already have the highways and the airports and the McMansions and the automobiles and it takes energy and a whole lot of energy to build something different.

A substantial reduction in energy consumption in the United States will be a Herculean task with many required to make sacrifices that they will refuse to make.

But how does anyone honestly expect the United States to cut its energy consumption while its population is rising? It is a pipe dream to expect a rising United States population can consume less energy.

A rising population will require the country to build new infrastructure for the larger population. This takes energy and adds to fossil fuel consumption. And further it takes energy to sustain the larger population.