Follow up to yesterday - Denmark and energy independence

Yesterday I talked about Jimmy Carter and bold plans for American energy independence—plans that fizzled out when he lost the 1980 election. Imagine where we might be, I asked, had Americans continued down the path to energy independence set by Carter.

Here is an interesting example of a nation that did just that: Denmark. Now I realize that there are very real, fundamental differences between the United States and Denmark, in the '70's and today. However, I think the broader lessons are valid.

Unlike America, Denmark, which was so badly hammered by the 1973 Arab oil embargo that it banned all Sunday driving for a while, responded to that crisis in such a sustained, focused and systematic way that today it is energy independent. (And it didn’t happen by Danish politicians making their people stupid by telling them the solution was simply more offshore drilling.)

So writes Thomas Friedman in his article, Flush With Energy. The Danes made a stunning switch from complete reliance on foreign energy and fossil fuels to a nation that now exports electricity. Perhaps most sobering is the conclusion to the article. The world's largest wine company is Danish, and as the president of the company says, "We’ve had 35 new competitors coming out of China in the last 18 months," said Engel, "and not one out of the U.S." Scary stuff.