If necessity really is the mother of invention, gasoline at $4 a gallon will force the United States, the world's most profligate user of energy, into a new era of creativity and innovation - as long as America's leaders stop practicing politics as usual.

As far as America's energy habits are concerned - the United States has 4 percent of the world's population and uses almost a quarter of its oil - change is under way. For one, the car culture is changing. Americans drive less and use more public transport (its use is at a 50-year high). Gas-guzzling SUVs are out, hybrids and fuel-efficient cars are in.