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The problem with any alternative energy research (with the huge potential this has, replacing oil, for instance) is this: In order to prove it works, it takes HUGE investments of both money and manpower. No private entity is going to take on a 3-5 billion dollar project, so governments fund this type of research with tax dollars (read: your and my tax dollars). I want my tax dollars going into research that has a high potential for return on investment, versus something that sounds great and is an easy political sell to the public, but has little hope of ever making a noticable impact in our future energy needs.
Do nothing and we pretty much can all agree on where that path leads. We may not have time/money to fund for a second chance, so investing wissely is crutial. The scientific community isn't starving for possible solutions, rather competing for investment dollars <nothing new>. Competing for the same investment dollars that say, would build wind or solar farms, fund geo-thermal or wave action research, build new hiways, continue the space station, fund environmental restoration, pay for natual disaster relief <both here and abroard>, and let's not forget very expensive politcal solutions to quiet civil unrest and shooting wars.
Public attention and support, scientific community scutiny and review, is key to moving forward with any publicly funded research.
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