I should teach the world about energy and the laws of thermodynamics. Energy plays an absolutely central role in making our highly technological civilisation possible. Without a secure energy supply - and particularly a secure electricity supply - we spiral down into anarchy, in a matter of minutes. Power cuts on the London Underground are a good example of this.

But the person on the Glasgow shuttle, members of parliament, and the like, know nothing of the laws that control our energy supply and usage. So I should teach the laws of thermodynamics. A simple formulation, which requires some additional explanation, runs as follows. Law 1 - you cannot win. Law 2 - you cannot beat the bank. Law 3 - you cannot get out of the game, and perpetual motion machines are an impossibility.

Ian Fells is coauthor of Global Warming: A Guide to Market-Based Controls on the Energy Sector (buy this book from Amazon (UK) or Amazon (USA)), and coeditor of Energy for the Future (buy this book from Amazon (UK) or Amazon (USA)).