The combination of dwindling fossil fuels and increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will add up to a massive challenge to the next generation of Americans to be resourceful in finding and employing new, clean sources of energy.

Randy Udall, director of the Community Office for Resource Efficiency in Aspen, Colo., said today’s high school students have fantastic opportunities — but they need to be proactive.

“You can live in iPod land, but there are large forces at work on the planet now that are going to change the way we live, and you’re going to need every skill and talent you can develop,” Udall said. “Prosperity is at risk, and we’ve got to get to work on this stuff.”

Udall was one of several speakers featured Tuesday at a daylong Helena Education Foundation seminar entitled Energy: Economics, Efficiency and the Environment. Some 70 high school students and 30 teachers attended, along with business leaders and representatives from industry and environmental groups.

He said that because oil has been so cheap and plentiful for the last century, there’s been little incentive to make cars and other fuel-burning machines more efficient. But two-thirds of the oil that will ever be found in the United States has already been burned, he said, and with emerging countries like China developing a voracious appetite for oil, it behooves our country to develop alternatives.

“I don’t want to see future generations of Americans having to spend part of their 20s a long way from home, fighting for the energy we can produce much more efficiently at home,” he said, adding: “Energy is going to be a defining issue, and my sense of urgency about it just grows over time.”

Udall said that Montana is in an unusual position of strength as one of just 10 states that produces more energy than it consumes. The Treasure State is one of the world’s best wind resources, he said.

Consultant Van Jamison, long active in clean air and renewable energy policy formulation, said the universe has no shortage of energy — since the first law of thermodynamics says energy can’t be created or destroyed — but that people just need to adjust the way they think about energy.

“The big task we’ve got before us is not adapting to energy ‘shortages,’ but how to make energy choices,” he said.

Jamison said consumers can do things to reduce their energy use like buying low-energy appliances, making their homes more efficient and other popular fixes.

But he cautioned consumers against making a “cost/benefit” decision — people should instead consider the price they pay versus the impact the item has on their personal values. Spending more money on energy efficiency makes more sense if it fits a person’s value system, he said.

“I often spend more money buying from a friend,” he said. “Why? I value friendship. So that’s a value that goes into the purchase decision.”

The conference will air on Helena Civic Television today at 1:30 and 10:30 p.m., and again on Feb. 5 (6 p.m.) and Feb. 6 (11 p.m.).

John Harrington can be reached at 447-4080 or john.harrington@helenair.com.