The Crisis In Energy Policy

Our future depends on what we do about energy. This stark fact, clear since the oil embargo of the 1970s, has been hammered home through crisis after crisis—and yet our government has failed to come up with a coherent energy policy. John Deutch, with his extraordinary mix of technical, scholarly, corporate, and governmental expertise in the realm of energy, is uniquely qualified to explain what has stood in the way of progress on this most pressing issue. His book is at once an eye-opening history of the muddled practices that have passed for energy policy over the past thirty years, and a cogent account of what we can and should learn from so many breakdowns of strategy and execution. Three goals drive any comprehensive energy policy: develop an effective approach to climate change; transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy technologies; and increase the efficiency of energy use to reduce dependence on imported oil. Why has every effort in this direction eventually fallen short? Deutch identifies the sources of this failure in our popular but unrealistic goals, our competing domestic and international agendas, and our poor analysis in planning, policy-making, and administering government programs. Most significantly, The Crisis in Energy Policy clarifies the need to link domestic and global considerations, as well as the critical importance of integrating technical, economic, and political factors. Written for experts and citizens alike, this book will strengthen the hand of anyone concerned about the future of energy policy.

We are facing a global energy crisis caused by world population growth, an escalating increase in demand, and continued dependence on fossil-based fuels for generation. It is widely accepted that increases in greenhouse gas concentration levels, if not reversed, will result in major changes to world climate with consequential effects on our society and economy. This is just the kind of intractable problem that Purdue University's Global Policy Research Institute seeks to address in the Purdue Studies in Public Policy series by promoting the engagement between policy makers and experts in fields such as engineering and technology. Major steps forward in the development and use of technology are required. In order to achieve solutions of the required scale and magnitude within a limited timeline, it is essential that engineers be not only technologically-adept but also aware of the wider social and political issues that policy-makers face. Likewise, it is also imperative that policy makers liaise closely with the academic community in order to realize advances. This book is designed to bridge the gap between these two groups, with a particular emphasis on educating the socially-conscious engineers and technologists of the future. In this accessibly-written volume, central issues in global energy are discussed through interdisciplinary dialogue between experts from both North America and Europe. The first section provides an overview of the nature of the global energy crisis approached from historical, political, and sociocultural perspectives. In the second section, expert contributors outline the technology and policy issues facing the development of major conventional and renewable energy sources. The third and final section explores policy and technology challenges and opportunities in the distribution and consumption of energy, in sectors such as transportation and the built environment. The book's epilogue suggests some future scenarios in energy distribution and use.

The energy crisis of 1973-1974 was a pivotal event in twentieth-century American history. In the wake of the Vietnam War, it exposed the nation's economic vulnerability to foreign powers and precipitated an awareness of limits to the exploitation of natural resources. Further, it forced Americans and the American government in particular to think about the future of energy production and consumption in novel waysand made such thinking more imperative than ever. Twenty years later, questions about the energy crisis persist. What were the underlying causes of the crisis? What did we learn from it? How has it affected our current energy policies? Will another energy crisis occur in our future? In The Energy Crisis, David Lewis Feldman brings together a wide range of energy policy experts to address these questions and explore the appropriate role of governments and markets in ensuring a stable, economical, and sustainable energy supply. The authors locate the energy crisis in its historical context and find that, contrary to popular opinion, the Arab oil embargo was not responsible for the energy crisis. Rather, they contend, the crisis was caused by a series of short-sighted policy decisions meant to bring Americans cheaper energy and a cleaner environment. The contributors to The Energy Crisis conclude that the crisis was resolved by a combination of market forces and government intervention, and they offer perspectives on the need to sustain long-term interest in public/private partnerships in the face of short-term political and economic demands.

The New Energy Crisis comes from the recent intrusion of climate change issues into energy economics and geopolitics. Global warming reveals that the current evolution of the world energy consumption is on an unsustainable path. This book explores economic and geopolitical tensions and reinforces ways to overcome the crisis.

When this book was published in 1980, the Energy Crisis of the 1970s continued to cast a long shadow across Canadian society. Its bleak analysis of the energy future shows just how deep that shadow was--and is. Wilson's tough, uncompromising study remains important reading for anyone who wants to understand what's at stake in the politics of energy and what needs to be done by government and industry to ensure that the economy of the future will continue to run when non-renewable sources of energy run out. The Energy Squeeze combines detailed analysis of Canada's energy future with prescriptions for action--nationalized supply and pricing, for example--that reflect the crisis atmosphere of the early 1980s.

The New Energy Crisis comes from the recent intrusion of climate change issues into energy economics and geopolitics. Global warming suddenly reveals that the current evolution of the world energy consumption is on an unsustainable path. This book explores economic and geopolitical tensions and reinforces ways to overcome the crisis.