A week ago Friday, David Frum was among the guests on Bill Maher's HBO show, and one of the topics they skirmished on was energy. Frum talked about how expensive wind and solar are, which he said precludes moving toward them.

Maher's response was right on: So what's the alternative? Business is great and we all die? Unfortunately, the conversation went elsewhere, and Frum never responded, but that's an answer I'd really like to hear from the other side.

Even the costs short of death are high, in health consequences and in dependence of resources we don't control. Efficiency always looks better, after you get past the costs of changing to the new way. 

I have always associated conservativism with hideboundedness, valuing the status quo just because it's the status quo, but never quite got the corollary, that conservatism is anathema to vision. What vision do people like Frum have for the future? Are we not going to run out of resources? Are the drops in water tables in India and China just going to right themselves?

If not, then what's your plan? That's a fair and sincere question.