If the market works, sustained oil prices will encourage investment in alternatives, weaning us off the black stuff sooner and averting a still worse crunch: climate change.

• 如果市场能发挥应有的作用，油价高企将鼓励人们投资于替代能源，让我们更早摆脱对黑色能源的依赖，避免一个更糟糕的问题：气候变化。