> fossil fuels they don't have the same potential to go quite so spectacularly bad No, that's not quite right. In fact with all oil-based energy consumption,

> fossil fuels they don't have the same potential to go quite so spectacularly bad No, that's not quite right. In fact with all oil-based energy consumption, we get harmful particles. And its worse, because: oil-based consumption is massively distributed, and it is therefore harder to turn off. Apropros management of energy, we humans are surrounded by free energy we haven't yet learned to manage. If we will perish because of oil-greed, then the lesson learned in all of this is that we must continue to go "local" in production and consumption. (Myself, I'd be happy to transition to 100% solar-power, and I de-incentivize my own personal oil consumption, i.e. I ride a bicycle to work.)