the author speaks of this like if we dont send the money to the middle east we can immediately use it on renewable resources. but, economically there is a reason for the money to be going there, and that's because it is cheaper to use oil. until research can make renewable fuel cheaper (or oil runs out), it will not be economically viable regardless of whether or not the resources and tech exists.
It's not a case of when oil runs out, but when it starts running out. As that happens the price goes up, and things like cars and aeroplanes get more expensive to run.
It's currently a lot cheaper to run an electric car from the domestic electricty supply than it is filling it with petrol, and has been for some time.
