I've noted several times that a big problem in a pave-our-way-out-of-distress stimulus program is that it also means a heavy CO2 impact from all that cement. But over at OpenLeft the blogger Freeranger notes a couple of articles on the use of fly ash to drastically lower the carbon impact of cement. Hooray for innovation (even if not exactly new).

It's important not to get in a mad rush to fix things that create bigger problems. Our approach to ethanol 2 years ago is a case of furiously flawed policy in the guise of alternative energy - both the huge industry payouts without creating competition and new solutions (actually blocking foreign providers of efficient ethanol through draconian tariffs), along with eco- and food supply damage through the willy-nilly rush to grow and conver to ethanol crops.

The reason the needed solutions are complex is because the problems are complex. The solution chosen may not be ideal, and sitting still doing nothing is typically not a good choice, but there's no replacement for reading the fine print. We need a forward-looking energy policy, there will be lots of experiments and mistakes, and we need to switch gears when we find a mistake - not "full speed ahead whatever the problem". Even with fly ash, there might be unforeseen problems (it got an unfair bad reputation some time ago, and it seems that proper usage has addressed these, but widespread usage in various scenarios can bring out new issues - caveat emptor).

There's no free lunch. Unless you're a fly.