Could people who are struggling to just get by be induced to say "bring it on" to both global warming and Peak Oil? Seems improbable, yet merry old England has conceived of a way to do exactly this. No less than the British Secretary for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, David Miliband, is championing "tradable carbon allowances."

Sounds formidable, but it's actually quite simple. Each person, including you, is given the same "carbon allowance." If you use less than your allowance, you get to sell the excess to those who need more. It's like the "allowance" I got as a kid, except that I get a big reward if I don't spend it all, and I pay a penalty if I beg for more candy than my allowance will buy.

I might use my carbon allowance to buy one kind of gas to run my car, another kind to heat my home. But what if I can actually get paid to take a bus instead, or to move to an apartment with lower heating bills and better bus service? Suddenly global warming and Peak Oil start to look like opportunities, not disasters.

Or if I'm a rich guy, then it's okay to pay a lot more to run my fancy cars and mansions, because I know it means that the masses will be struggling, not just to get by, but to save the planet too. Or if I'm well off, but not exactly rich, then I'll think twice about the cost of my high-flying lifestyle. Maybe a little voluntary simplicity and less debt would feel a lot better.

Here's one way it might work. The governing agency would give every adult, and all organizations, a "carbon points" bank account. Every two weeks the agency would deposit an allowance of carbon points to your account, just like a paycheck. The allowance for organizations would depend on the number of employee hours worked. After two weeks, any unused carbon points could either be left in the bank, donated to a non-profit, or sold on the carbon points market. The current market rate would be set by computerized bidding techniques.

But it's not like you'd get your gas for free. The carbon point cost would be on top of the normal dollar cost. The agency would decide which things require carbon points and how many: initially fuel and electricity for transportation, heating, appliances, mechanical work, etc. Your ATM card would automatically use the carbon points in your account, or buy them if the account is empty.

And the idea is not just reward and punishment, but help too. Buyers of carbon points would pay a sales tax to help finance projects, such as renewable energy and public transit, also grants or loans to individuals or organizations that need special assistance to reduce carbon emissions.

Here's where Al Gore comes in: The carbon allowances would be based on a national carbon budget, which would be decreased each year to target an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. To be practical, separate budgets would be carved out for some large organizations with special energy requirements.

Sure, this wouldn't happen overnight. You'd have to start with research and development, then pilot projects in selected cities, then expand to counties and states, finally the nation. But lo and behold, look at the amazing thing you've created: Workers for Earth Community.