Fossil fuel accidents 2010: the larger meaning

Coal mine disaster in the Upper Big Branch mine of Massey Energy in West Virginia. Multiple gas field and pipeline accidents in Pennsylvania. The BP Deepwater Horizon blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. What is the larger meaning? The more we go down the road of relying on fossil fuels for 85% of our energy (and don't make a substantial effort to cut energy use per person, not just the 2 to 3 percent of the last 10-20 years) we are going to be pushed into riskier and riskier sources and extraction processes. Sure, we can get smarter about reducing those risks -- but it will get harder and harder. We need to move away from an economy that is so energy intensive per person (Don't forget that our population is supposed to grow to 450 million in the U.S. by mid-century) and toward an economy that does not rely so much on fossil fuels.