The myths of technology and efficiency: A few thoughts for a sustainable energy future

Panel: Panel 1. Strategies and integrated policies

Authors:
Benoit Lebot, United Nation Development Programme
Paolo Bertoldi, European Commission
Mithra Moezzi, Ecole des Mines de Paris
Anita Eide, Enova SF

Abstract

Energy consumption continues to grow, as do CO2 emissions. The energy efficiency community has created indicators and 'Business-as-Usual' scenarios to show large energy savings achieved compared to "what would have been if ...." Technology development has been highlighted as the most successful achievement: "We have refrigerators that are ten times more efficient!" Yet technology is only one component of the equation, and unfortunately it alone cannot create sustainability. What's more, a focus on technical efficiency, especially market-based efficiency, may reproduce and encourage the very forms of consumption it purports to control.

The US-model of energy use, energy policy and behaviour is often what is offered as the paradigm of a successful energy efficiency policy package. Yet the US is a world leader in consumption as well, sporting a social-technical system fundamentally oriented toward defining and then fulfilling ever-greater "needs." However pleasant fulfilling these constructed needs may or may not be, energy consumption in the US continues to grow. Arguably the US-model has been exported to Europe, assisting rapid changes in the energy use (out of town supermarket and malls, A/C in houses and cars, larger and more appliances, driving children to schools in SUV's, abandoning city centres for "green" out-of-town villas). Worse, the same model is exported to fast developing economies such as China and other Asian countries: abandoning cycling to make space for cars, increased urbanisation, increased penetration of appliances and A/C. We are well aware of the argument that people in developing countries deserve freedom to consume too, yet this counterpoint is often oversimplified and is hardly an innocent protection. Moreover, it is these poorest countries that are most affected by the adverse impacts of climate change and increased energy consumption.

The paper presents details of present patterns of energy usage and its social, economic, and environmental impacts using examples from a few selected countries, and analyses policy response from energy policy makers and the energy efficiency community. The responses are analysed and classified e.g., "no hope: best we can do is deal with consequences", "more efficiency-technical", "more efficiency-social", "absolute caps on CO 2 emissions".

The authors propose some paths toward a sustainable energy future based on a mix of ambitious policies and new social and energy responsibilities that has the potential of resulting in a major change in energy using behaviour. It also advocates increased standards of policy critique, arguing that both the social and technical assumptions of policy models that promise savings must be made transparent.