From what I've heard, recycling is less efficient than using new materials, using more energy to do the same thing, and thus is more polluting.
Actually, that's 100% correct. On average, recycling anything but plastic is far less beneficial than people are led to believe. Not saying that we shouldn't, just that it shouldn't be part of the whole environmental movement.
As far as alternative energy goes... I'm a big advocate of nuclear energy. It's clean, efficient, and (believe it or not) very safe. Having to stick a pot of radioactive waste in a giant mountain in the middle of nowhere is nothing compared to air pollution that fossil fuel produces. Sure, there are cleaner forms of energy (solar is probably the most promising of these), but when you're adding economics and efficiency into the equation, nuclear is truly the way to go. I don't really know why it has become so demonized in the past few decades.
Solar power is my ideal form. I mean, come on people, that thing in the sky you sunbathe in... it's one humongous ball of energy! And it's not going anywhere for quite a few years (like, millions, I think?). I always thought big business and Republicans
look for ways to get something for free... well, solar power is as close to "something for nothing" as you can get in the energy field.
I think the issue here is that pro-fossil fuel people say "we can't survive on solar power or [insert any alternative here] alone", but they don't consider utilizing all of them. Between solar, wind, hydroelectricity, et al, there is truly enough energy to go around.
