Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The transition
and the tools to make it happen
It's clear that power generation and transportation are indispen-
sable, and that fossil fuels cannot sustain them indefinitely - even
without factoring in climate change. It should be equally clear,
therefore, that a transition to secure and sustainable energy is nec-
essary, and probably inevitable.
Will this transition be smooth? There is no guarantee. The transition
could be rough if countries were to compete for ever-higher-priced
reserves, while simultaneously making inadequate preparation for alter-
native energies. The oil companies of Asia's two giants, China and India,
have certainly stepped up their search for hydrocarbon concessions
around the world. Europe and the US are better placed. They have oil
majors of their own, pipeline connections to well-resourced neighbours
(Russia for Europe, Canada for the US), and sufficient money and tech-
nology to develop alternative energies. In terms of economic power,
whether countries manage their energy transition well or badly could
determine their relative ranking in the new world order.
But managing the transition is far more than a scramble for, and a
hoarding of, remaining oil and gas resources. Indeed, too much back-
ward-looking focus on fossil fuels could distract attention from proper
preparation for the future. This will involve governments using various
tactics and techniques to change the behaviour of both energy consum-
ers and producers. Information and exhortation can lead to people being
persuaded to cut back their energy use or to switch to cleaner energy
supplies.
However, the level of voluntary response from private individuals is
unlikely to be very high without some degree of government intervention.
Examples of such actions are the statutary requirements that new electric
appliances must carry information about their relative energy efficiency,
to guide the energy-conscious buyer. But it is left to the buyer to decide
whether to act on that information.
 
 
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