Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Energy transitions: insights from almost 30 years ago

It could have been written today:


ECONOMIC VULNERABILITY AND THE ENERGY TRANSITION

John D. Sterman


The economy is likely to face a prolonged period of economic

vulnerability due to the continued depletion of nonrenewable resources, slow

development of alternative sources, and lags in the adjustment of energy

consumption to higher prices. The magnitude and duration of the vulnerability

is strongly influenced, however, by the technological and institutional

charactersitics (sic) of alternative energy sources...


...Neither energy planning nor economic policy can be conducted

in isolation from the other, or without consideration of the disequilibrium

dynamics of the transition.


Click here for full PDF.

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