Title: Energy, environment and economy: complementaries and conflicts in the search for sustainable growth

Authors: Dennis Anderson

Addresses: World Bank

Abstract: The world|s energy demand seems set to grow to very large levels, owing to the rapidly growing weight of developing economies in the world energy markets. In light of the economic importance of meeting these energy demands, it is scenarios of low energy demands that we find economically and environmentally unsustainable; inordinately high levels of conservation, that is to say levels of conservation achieved by demand restrictions and other methods inconsistent with the economic principles of managing energy demand and supply, would inflict much economic and social hardship - and environmental damage - on developing countries. How then is pollution to be reduced? The best prospects lie in the adoption of low polluting technologies - the |cleaner| of the fossil fuel technologies and, over the long run, renewable energy. There has been much progress on this front. The paper discusses policies which would encourage further technical progress.

Keywords: developing countries; economy; energy demand; environmental pollution; sustainable growth; world energy markets; renewable energy; technical progress; energy technology.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGEI.1997.063346

International Journal of Global Energy Issues, 1997 Vol.9 No.4/5/6, pp.331-350

Published online: 10 Jul 2014 *

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