A growing degree of energy independence is good news for the American economy, but this rapid, global increase in fossil fuel combustion raises questions:

* Will the surge of petroleum (oil and natural gas) undermine the ongoing shift to renewable energy, including biofuels, solar and wind energy?

* Will the United States achieve “energy security” and be insulated from high prices and uncertain supplies?

* What about climate? The IEA, after all, says greenhouse gas releases in its most likely scenario “correspond to a long-term average global temperature increase of 3.6 ° C” (6.8°F). That’s almost twice the 2°C target for tolerable warming advocated by some scientists.