The first part of this essay is actually really interesting. Consumers are being asked to cut back, even though the things they are cutting back are not actually the problem? Municipalities are paying $3+/sq ft to dig up lawn, if that's a pointless endeavor, then it should stop.

The second part I think is completely BS. The three options are all ridiculous. I think technology is moving very fast right now. We need tight regulation of obviously bad behavior, we need appropriate investment in infrastructure. But to some extent if you want to invest in anything just invest widely in technology.