Title:
The Goldilocks policy : the basis for a grand energy bargain / John R. Fanchi.
Author:
Fanchi, John R., author.
Publication Information:
Singapore ; Hackensack, NJ : World Scientific Publishing, [2019]
Call Number:
TJ808 .F35 2019
Abstract:
This book makes the case for a grand energy bargain that recognizes the need to protect the environment from the combustion of fossil fuels while protecting the national and global economies during the transition from fossil fuels to sustainable energy. Our future energy mix depends on choices we make, which depends, in turn, on energy policy. Society is continuing a trend toward decarbonization: the reduction in the relative amount of carbon in combustible fuels. The 21st century energy mix will depend on technological advances, including some advances that cannot be anticipated, and on choices made by society. There are competing visions for reaching a sustainable energy mix. If the energy transition is too fast, it could significantly damage the global economy. If the energy transition is too slow, damage to the environment could be irreversible. The ""Goldilocks Policy for Energy Transition"" is designed to establish a middle ground between these competing visions. We need the duration of the energy transition to be just right; we need to adopt a reasonable plan of action that reduces uncertainty for businesses and innovators with predictable public policy while simultaneously minimizing environmental impact. The question of climate change is still unsettled, but enough is known to motivate a transition away from fossil fuels. The transition does not have to be abrupt and catastrophic, however. Historical energy transitions can be a guide to a reasonable duration for making an orderly transition. If we exercise discipline and patience, we can overcome the obstacles to successful implementation of a grand energy bargain.
ISBN:
9789813276390
9789813277441
Physical Description:
xii, 215 pages : color illustrations, color maps ; 23 cm
Contents:
Preface. Part 1 Introduction : What is energy -- How much energy do we consume? -- Why should we care about energy? -- Is our use of energy affecting the climate? -- SHould we be concerned about our supply of energy? Part 2 Is the climate change debate settled? : Is our climate changing? -- What is affecting the atmosphere? -- Are we changing the atmosphere? -- Has climate change occurred before? The long view -- What might be the consequences of anthropogenic climate change? -- How can we reduce greenhouse gas emissions? -- Is the climate change debate settled? : Population growth ; IPCC versus NIPCC: is this the debate? ; COP21: the Paris climate meeting ; The oil and gas climate initiative. Part 3 Roadmap to a sustainable energy mix : Trend toward decarbonization -- Competing energy visions -- how can we transition to a sustainable energy mix? : John Hofmeister and regulation ; Vaclav Smil and the transition from fossil fuels to renewables ; Daniel Yergin and the quest for change -- Goldilocks policy for energy transition : Historical basis for duration of energy transitions ; Temperature change forecast ; The Goldilocks policy. Part 4 Obstacles to adopting the Goldilocks policy : Conventional political obstacles : Typical forms of government ; Government and energy ; Mass media -- Role of geopolitics : Clash of civilizations ; Clash over resources ; energy interdependence -- The political roots of socialist environmentalism : Is modern environmentalism an attempt to impose socialism? ; Dialectical materialism ; The Marxist view of property ; The Marxist view of natural resources ; The Marxist view of environmentalism goes national ; The Fabian Society: evolutionary rather than revolutionary ; The Marxist view of environmentalism goes global -- Oligarchic political obstacles : Quigley's plutocracy model ; The bureaucratic ruling class model -- Fabian socialism as a political obstacle : The Fabian Society ; Fabian globalism -- Globalism as a political obstacle : World War I and The Inquiry ; Walter Lippmann's brush with Fabian socialism ; Wilson's 14 Points and the League of Nations -- Environmentalism and the United States -- Maurice Strong and global socialist environmentalism -- International banking and globalization -- Funding of globalization by the privileged minority : Amassing the Rockefeller fortune ; The Rockefeller Foundation ; International banker David Rockefeller -- Picking up the environmental baton: Barak Obama. Part 5 What is the future of energy? : Can the obstacles be overcome? : Competing economic visions ; Global feudalism -- Selecting our energy future. Appendix A: The Goldilocks story -- Appendix B: The Earth Charter -- References -- Index.
Personal Author:
