The Conundrum

From the acclaimed New Yorker staff writer, a razor-sharp indictment of our efficiency-forward approach to sustainable living.

Hybrid cars, fast trains, compact florescent light bulbs, solar panels, carbon offsets: Everything you've been told about living green is wrong. The quest for a breakthrough battery or a 100 mpg car are dangerous fantasies. We are consumers, and we like to consume green and efficiently. But David Owen argues that our best intentions are still at cross purposes to o...