Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Improve Energy Efficiency
More Renewable Energy
Increase fuel-efficiency
standards for vehicles,
buildings, and appliances
Increase renewable energy to 20% by 2020 and 50% by 2050
Provide large subsidies and tax credits for renewable energy
Mandate government
purchases of efficient
vehicles and other devices
Use full-cost accounting and life-cycle cost for comparing all
energy alternatives
Encourage government purchase of renewable energy devices
Provide large tax credits for
buying efficient cars, houses,
and appliances
Greatly increase renewable energy research and development
Offer large tax credits for
investments in energy
efficiency
Reduce Pollution and Health Risk
Reward utilities for reducing
demand for electricity
Cut coal use 50% by 2020
Phase out coal subsidies
Encourage independent
power producers
Levy taxes on coal and oil use
Greatly increase energy
efficiency research and
development
Phase out nuclear power or put it on hold until 2020
Phase out nuclear power subsidies
Figure 13-47 Solutions: suggestions of various energy analysts to help make the transition to a more
sustainable energy future. Critical thinking: which five of these solutions do you believe are the most important?
Third, over the next 50 years, the choice is not between
using nonrenewable fossil fuels and renewable energy
sources. Because of their supplies and low prices, fossil
fuels will continue to be used in large quantities. The
challenge is to find ways to reduce the harmful envi-
ronmental impacts of widespread fossil fuel use, with
special emphasis on reducing air pollution and emis-
sions of greenhouse gases as less harmful alternatives
are phased in.
developed countries. It has created an uneven eco-
nomic playing field that encourages energy waste and
rapid depletion of nonrenewable energy resources. It
also discourages improvements in energy efficiency
and the development of renewable energy.
Second, governments can keep energy prices artifi-
cially high to discourage use of a resource. They can raise
the price of an energy resource by eliminating existing
tax breaks and other subsidies, enacting restrictive reg-
ulations, or adding taxes on its use. This approach will
increase government revenues, encourage improve-
ments in energy efficiency, reduce dependence on im-
ported energy, and decrease use of an energy resource
that has a limited future supply.
Making this transition to a more sustainable en-
ergy future depends primarily on politics, which de-
pends largely on the pressure individuals put on
elected officials by voting with their ballots and on
companies by voting with their pocket topics. Figure
13-48 (p. 326) lists some ways you can contribute to
making this transition by reducing the amount of en-
ergy you use and waste.
Economics, Politics, and Energy Resources
Governments can use a combination of subsidies, tax
breaks, and taxes to promote or discourage use of
various energy alternatives.
To most analysts, the key to making a shift to more
sustainable energy resources and societies lies in eco-
nomics and politics. Governments can use two basic
economic and political strategies to help stimulate or
dampen the short-term and long-term use of a particu-
lar energy resource.
First, they can keep energy prices artificially low to en-
courage use of selected energy resources. They can provide
research and development subsidies and tax breaks,
and enact regulations that help stimulate the develop-
ment and use of energy resources receiving such sup-
port. For decades, this approach has been employed to
stimulate the development and use of fossil fuels and
nuclear power in the United States and in most other
A transition to renewable energy is inevitable, not because
fossil fuel supplies will run out—large reserves of oil, coal, and
gas remain in the world—but because the costs and risks of
using these supplies will continue to increase relative to
renewable energy.
M OHAMED E L -A SHRY
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