Policy

Abstract

Chapter 7 considers the role of energy policies in supporting one resource over another and the effect each choice can make on everyone’s future health. It emphasizes the relative positions of energy policy and energy technology, explaining why policy decisions can have significant and long-lasting repercussions. It inspects the shortcomings of rapidly shifting energy policies on the march toward future energy transitions and emission control. It also compares the efficacy of energy policies within a democratic government style and the efficacy of such policies in a centralized government. It describes the relative importance of sustainability, competitiveness, and security in establishing energy policy, and it differentiates how energy policies differ at state, national and international scales. It explains the role of government energy policies in bringing new energy technologies into commercial use, illustrates the arguments used by lobbyists for fossil fuels versus solar energy, and identifies the different advantages and drawbacks of state versus national energy policies