Energy reporter for The Economist, Vijay Vaitheeswaran, says that cars are the solution, not the problem, in our battle against global warming. Vaitheeswaran doesn’t think getting Americans to give up their vehicles is the answer, and in fact, says a world without cars would be a a dim, joyless place with much-diminished freedom, mobility, and prosperity.”

Plenty Magazine interviewed Vaitheeswaran about the disastrous marriage between the automobile industry and the oil industry, the parable of the Prius, and a gas tax that won’t bleed Americans dry. Check out Part I of the interview above, and Part II below.

and watch the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? which explains why our cars are so oil dependent. You can also check out Vaitheeswaran’s new book “ZOOM: The Global Race to Fuel the Car of the Future.”

Related:

• Race is on to fuel car of the future
• ABC News: Global warming culprits: Cars and cows
• Arnold Tells Automakers to “Stop Whining” About Tougher California Emissions Standards