Energy and Environment: Deriving a Research Agenda

Abstract

Energy and the environment are inextricably linked: all decisions concerning energy consumption and production have implications for the environment, and environmental policy can impinge on the exploitation of energy resources. In this paper a general agenda is identified for this field of research, based on the deliberations of the ESRC Working Group on Energy and the Environment between 1984 and 1987. The connection between energy and environment issues and the different philosophical approaches to reconciling energy — environment conflicts are discussed, and criteria for identifying research priorities are suggested. An indicative research framework is constructed, and four main research themes are identified which must be tackled if real progress is to be made in this area with the limited research resources likely to be available.