For four decades, Amory Lovins has been a leading proponent of a
renewable power revolution that would wean the U.S. off fossil
fuels and usher in an era of energy independence. In an
interview with Yale Environment 360, he talks about his latest
book, which describes his vision of how the world can attain a
green energy future by 2050. Amory B. Lovins is fond of
referring to the Rocky Mountain Institute, where he serves as
chairman and chief scientist, as a “think and do” tank, and it’s
clear that to Lovins the doing is every bit as important as the
thinking. Hardly lacking in confidence or ambition, Lovins — in
conjunction with his colleagues at the institute — has published
Reinventing Fire, his step-by-step blueprint for how to
transition to a renewable energy economy by mid-century.
Impressive in both its scope and detail — Lovins discusses
everything from how to redesign heavy trucks to make them more
fuel efficient to ways to change factory pipes to conserve
energy — the book lays out a plan for the U.