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Today, with a changing climate putting pressure on communities and ecosystems worldwide, goals for a carbon-neutral economy mean that renewable and low-carbon energy sources are being presented as solutions. While these cleaner energy sources have the potential to reduce risk to the environment and bring energy security closer to a reality, questions remain about the stability of the energy supply chain, the ability to meet energy demand reliably, and the best ways to produce fair and equitable outcomes in an energy transition. To serve as a catalyst for developing new insights and coordination around the energy transition, the Gulf Research Program at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a 2-day workshop in Washington, DC, called Navigating the Energy Transition in the Gulf of Mexico. Based around two scenarios in the year 2050 - one in which a carbon neutral economy is achieved and another in which robust dependence on fossil fuels remains - this serious gaming event stimulated the sharing of ideas, concerns, and cascading impacts from participants across academia, industry, government, and Gulf communities. This publication summarizes the activities, presentations, and discussion of the workshop.

The aim of energy analysis is to quantify the energy flows inherent in all systems. As applied to economic systems, it is concerned with the energy flows inherent in the production of goods and services. The claims made for the policy utility of that energy flow information, however, vary across a wide spectrum. The papers included in this symposium volume represent and reflect that spectrum of claims. In setting the stage for these papers, this intro-duction will sketch the areas of agreement and disagreement around which the energy analysis debate revolves. In delineating the nature and substance of the contro-versy over using energy analysis as a policy tool, it is convenient to distinguish between analyses at the micro level and at the macro level. This distinction applies both to the system level at which the analysis is carried out and to the system level to which results are applied. That is, analyses may be carried out for the purpose of comparing two indus-trial processes for producing the same commodity or for the purpose of identifying process changes which would change the energy costs of production (micro analysis) or they may be carried out for the purpose of identifying the contri-bution a technological system set in its environmental context makes to U. S. socioeconomic well-being (macro analysis).

Knowledge of public attitudes and values is essential to the formulation and implementation of government policies affecting energy and other natural resources, but it is difficult to obtain and use this knowledge, for the pertinent issues are complex and involve such difficult-to-define concepts as degree of acceptable risk for both present and future generations. Recently, survey researchers have attempted to measure and explain public attitudes related to energy and resource conservation. This volume examines what policymakers need to or would like to know about these attitudes, what kinds of results the researchers have been able to obtain, and the extent to which their results currently influence the policymaking process.

The question of decentralization of energy sources goes to the heart of the energy choices before the United States, but conflicting viewpoints have clouded the issue in recent years. This volume cuts through the rhetoric to address specific issues involving local control over energy sources and energy uses, including environmental aspects of decentralized and centralized energy supply systems; energy conservation and its relation to energy decentralization; behavior, values, and energy choices; institutional issues affecting the commercialization of solar energy, especially in cities; issues of decentralized and conventional energy supply choices in Sweden; and methods by which decentralized energy systems have been studied. Most importantly, each of the papers in this collection considers social and institutional concerns as well as technical and economic issues.

Drawn from the Hoover Institution's Shultz-Stephenson Task Force on Energy Policy January 2010 conference, this book discusses critical energy issues including, energy and synthetic biology, cap and trade and carbon tax policies, energy efficiency, international energy relationships, and other key topics. The contributors present a range of ideas and recommendations that might improve the performance of the United States in responding to the energy challenge.

Description based on print version record.

The National Research Council's Roundtable on Science and Technology for Sustainability hosted'Transitioning to Sustainability through Research and Development on Ecosystem Services and Biofuels: The National Academies'First Federal Sustainability Research and Development Forum'on October 17- 18, 2007. The forum discussed sustainability research and development activities related to ecosystem services and biofuels. The objective of the forum was to identify research gaps and opportunities for collaboration among federal agencies to meet the challenges to sustainability posed by the need to maintain critical ecosystem services, to support the development of alternatives to conventional fossil fuels, and to manage oceans and coastal areas. The forum focused primarily on federal activities, but included the participation of representatives from the private sector, universities, and nongovernmental organizations. This book is a summary the discussions from the forum.

There is a growing sense of national urgency about the role of energy in long-term U.S. economic vitality, national security, and climate change. This urgency is the consequence of many factors, including the rising global demand for energy; the need for long-term security of energy supplies, especially oil; growing global concerns about carbon dioxide emissions; and many other factors affected to a great degree by government policies both here and abroad. On March 13, 2008, the National Academies brought together many of the most knowledgeable and influential people working on energy issues today to discuss how we can meet the need for energy without irreparably damaging Earth's environment or compromising U.S. economic and national security-a complex problem that will require technological and social changes that have few parallels in human history. The National Academies Summit on America's Energy Future: Summary of a Meeting chronicles that 2-day summit and serves as a current and far-reaching foundation for examining energy policy. The summit is part of the ongoing project'America's Energy Future: Technology Opportunities, Risks, and Tradeoffs,'which will produce a series of reports providing authoritative estimates and analysis of the current and future supply of and demand for energy; new and existing technologies to meet those demands; their associated impacts; and their projected costs. The National Academies Summit on America's Energy Future: Summary of a Meeting is an essential base for anyone with an interest in strategic, tactical, and policy issues. Federal and state policy makers will find this book invaluable, as will industry leaders, investors, and others willing to convert concern into action to solve the energy problem.

'This proceedings report documents the presentations and discussions of the conference'--Pref.

At head of title: The National Academies.

Uncertain Power: The Struggle for a National Energy Policy discusses several issues pertaining to the energy situation in the U.S., such as the public, the government, and the risks. The opening chapter discusses a delicate balance among the public, experts, and government. Chapter 2 tackles the failure of consensus on energy, and Chapter 3 deals with energy policy and democratic theory. The fourth chapter reviews the neglect of social risk assessment; the fifth chapter discusses valuing of human life. Chapter 6 tackles the media coverage of complex technological issues, and Chapter 7 covers the governance of nuclear power. The eighth chapter covers the national energy policy from state and local perspectives, while the ninth chapter reviews selling saved energy, considered as a new role for the utilities. Chapter 10 discusses energy and security, and Chapter 11 tackles history as a guide to the future. The last chapter covers the political geology of the energy problems. Readers who concern themselves regarding several factors that affect energy source, supply, and distribution along with its socio-economic implication will find this book a great source of insight regarding the issue.

Energy Use in Transportation Contingency Planning emphasizes the evaluation of experiences relative to energy and transportation contingencies and the assessment of knowledge about disaster preparedness and emergency planning in the United States. The book focuses on the role of the government during emergency situations, particularly the disruptions in transportation and energy in the United States. The text then presents opposing views on the role of the government in these kinds of situations. Systems and remedies that are deemed important during emergencies are noted. Some of these emergencies include railroad disasters and earthquakes. The role of government agencies during emergencies, particularly on mobilization preparedness, is highlighted. This role is shown in the programs implemented by the Department of Defense, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Energy. The role of the private sector in lessening the impact of energy disruptions is noted as well. The text is recommended to those involved in emergency planning and preparedness.

Authors with widely different perspectives consider two important social objectives: assuring future energy supplies and protecting the natural environment. Contributors include Kenneth Boulding, Glenn Seaborg, and Barry Commoner. Particularly useful to students and interested non-specialists. Originally published in 1972