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Global Climate Change Digest
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FROM VOLUME 3, NUMBER 11, NOVEMBER 1990

PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS...
ENERGY POLICY

Item #d90nov23

"Methane in Cities," F.S. Rowland (Dept. Chem., Univ. Calif., Irvine CA 92717), N.R.P. Harris, D.R. Blake, Nature, 347(6292), 432-433, Oct. 4, 1990. Presents data to support the conclusion that improved controls on the transmission of natural gas, particularly in Eastern Europe and Asia, offer a promising opportunity to slow the global build-up of the greenhouse gas methane.

Item #d90nov24

"Energy for Our Globe's People," W.S. Lee (Duke Pwr. Co., Charlotte, N.C.), Environment, 32(7), 12-15, 33-35, Sep. 1990.

The utility's chairman offers his thoughts on how to ensure that a variety of energy resources will be adequate to meet the world's demands. Regarding future use of fossil fuels, he notes that we do not yet know how to control CO₂ emissions, and there is need for skepticism about using the ocean for a sink. Without a more certain understanding of global warming, it would be folly to rely exclusively on burning carbon fuels for the world's electricity.

Item #d90nov25

"An Energy Tax to Reduce the Greenhouse Effect: An All Winners Concept," W. Bach (Univ. Münster, FRG), Clim. Change, 16(3), iii-v, June 1990.

Policies for curtailing global warming could be funded through a global economic system which taxes nonrenewable energy carriers that have associated adverse environmental and climatic risks. Under a polluter-pays taxation, those countries successful at greenhouse gas emissions reductions would pay less. Industrialized countries have the capital to pay the taxes and can gain participation of developing countries through debt reduction.

Item #d90nov26

"Energy and the Environment," W.K. Davis (Dept. Chem. Eng., Univ. Calif., Los Angeles, Calif.), Chem. Eng. Progr., 86(7), 64-67, July 1990. Summarizes the 14th World Energy Congress (Montreal, Sep. 1989). In the 1990s society will try to resolve the three-dimensional problem of energy, environment and economy. Although technology can assist, the basic energy issues are institutional--how to make decisions at national and international levels in ways that also inform and involve the public.

Item #d90nov27

"Electricity and the Environment," J.P. Tomain (Coll. Law, Univ. Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio), Public Util. Fort., 34-36, July 5, 1990. Choosing an energy strategy inevitably means choosing an environmental strategy. A realistic energy scenario consists of fuel mixing using conventional and alternative resources, with conservation and increased energy efficiencies.

Item #d90nov28

"Environmental Solutions--9th International Congress on Energy and the Environment, Clean Energy Institute, University of Miami, USA, 13-15 December 1989," A. Clarke (Technol. Policy, Open Univ., Milton Keynes, UK), Energy Policy, 18(5), 486-487, June 1990. Conference report.

The fundamentals were laid out in the opening addresses: the academics believe the greenhouse effect is happening now; the industrialists and politicians prefer "business as usual" with some environmental measures. Delegates from 40 countries covered a wide range of topics, but did not come to any conclusion on the reality of the greenhouse effect.

Item #d90nov29

"It Is Energy We Need Not Electricity," N. Jenkins (Whitehill, Ewshot, Farnham, Surrey GU10 5BS, UK), ibid., 423-427.

Makes a plea for matching energy demand with more economic energy engineering--without resorting to penalizing taxation. Questions why we should pay double or more for our energy, merely to encourage the electricity industry to continue unchanged with its waste and pollution methods. Suggests a combination of energy solutions.

Item #d90nov30

"The Contribution of Efficient Energy Pricing to Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions," J.C. Burgess (London Environ. Econ. Ctr., 3 Endsleigh St., London WC1H 0DD, UK), ibid., 449-455.

Estimates the reduction in CO₂ emissions that would be brought about by imposing privately efficient energy pricing. This does not ensure the socially optimal level of energy production that is necessary for averting the greenhouse effect. Further policy instruments and considerations are needed to attain this optimum level globally.

Item #d90nov31

"The Conflict between Energy Conservation and Environmental Policy in the US Transportation Sector," J.D. Khazzoom (Sch. Business, San Jose Univ., One Washington Sq., San Jose CA 95192), M. Shelby, R. Wolcott, ibid., 456-458.

Identifies the impact of three automotive fuel conservation policies on vehicle emissions and proposes a policy of emission control that ties the allowed emission to the amount of fuel burned, rather than to the amount of emissions per mile driven as required by current EPA policy. This alternative policy would restore the link between emission and the source of the emission severed by EPA policy.

Item #d90nov32

"Climate Research Review," a new column in Energy Policy, will provide readers with a regular review of developments in atmospheric and oceanic research that may have implications for energy policy and planning. The focus will be on anthropogenic climate change. The first title in this column is "Proposed Index of Global Warming Effect Puts CO₂'s Share to Over 70%," M.R. Allen (Dept. Atmos. Phys., Univ. Oxford, UK), pp. 485-486. Examines an alternative approach that takes into account the proportion of emissions remaining in the atmosphere as a function of time, and integrates over all time to calculate the total warming effect of a given quantity of greenhouse gases released.

Item #d90nov33

"Obstacles to Rational Electricity Use and Measures to Alleviate Them," E. Jochem (Fraunhofer Inst. Sys. Innovations Res., Breslauer Str. 48, D-7500, Karlsruhe 1, FRG), E. Gruber, ibid., 18(4), 340-350, May 1990.

Improvements in energy efficiency can be economically justified, but there are market obstacles. Efficiency improvements are mostly group specific and have to be matched with suitable energy policies. Obstacles and cost-effective measures are described for private households, small and medium-sized companies, and small communities.

Item #d90nov34

"Keepin and Kats--A Comment" E.M. Kinderman (SRI Intl., Menlo Park, Calif.), W.J. Schumacher, ibid., 389-394.

Disagrees with Keepin and Kats' approach by suggesting that a combination of nuclear power and conservation can result in reduced CO₂ emissions. Introducing about 600 GW of nuclear power in 35 years and efficiency improvements that reduce growth in world electricity demand by two-thirds would hold CO₂ emissions from electric power production to current levels.

Item #d90nov35

"Energy Conservation Policies," G. Greenhalgh (Sussex, UK), ibid., 18(3), 293-299, Apr. 1990.

Increasing efficiency of energy use will not lead to reduced usage because costs will drop and usage will then increase. If global warming is to be taken seriously, restrictions on fossil fuel consumption may have to be imposed by measures such as the carbon tax proposed by the International Energy Agency.

Item #d90nov36

"An International Tax on Pollution and Natural Resource Depletion," T. Sterner (Univ. Gothenburg, Sweden), ibid., 300-302. The proposed tax would not only finance environmental work, but would also in itself be a valuable instrument of environmental policy.

Item #d90nov37

"Changing Energy End-Use Patterns as a Means of Reducing Global-Warming Trends," M. Dresner (Sonoma State Univ., Rohnert Park, Calif.), J. Environ. Ed., 21(2), 41-45, Winter 1989/1990.

A simulation game was designed and used as a part of an experimental effort to change participants' behavior and attitudes toward energy conservation and renewable energy practices and devices, and toward participation in conservation at a local level. Participants showed an increase in favorable attitudes toward home energy activism, and showed a greater likelihood of taking action.