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A study is conducted to analyze various energy policy instruments that manage energy security and climate risks. The importance of these policies in sustainability in global energy systems is also presented.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2005.10.001 Byline: Hal Turton Keywords: Sustainable development; Climate change; Energy security; Technological change; Hydrogen; Transport; Automobiles Abstract: Transport represents a significant threat to long-term sustainable development, and is one of the fastest-growing consumers of final energy and sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, transport is heavily reliant on petroleum, a limited resource that is also associated with geopolitical risks to security of supply. Together, threats to the global environment and limited resource availability warrant a closer examination of possible pathways to a sustainable transport system. This study describes a sustainable automobile transport scenario based on the SRES B2 scenario, but with key demographic and economic drivers updated to incorporate developments between 1990 and 2000, and revisions to population projections. Multiple sustainable development objectives are incorporated, including: i) continuing economic growth, with a moderate reduction in disparities in income between different world regions; ii) maintaining a buffer of oil and gas resources to enhance security of energy supply, both globally and in vulnerable regions; iii) abating greenhouse gas emissions to ensure atmospheric CO.sub.2 concentrations do not exceed double pre-industrial levels; and iv) ensuring global mobility demands are met, without resorting to assumptions about a large counter-trend shift to public transport or lower travel demand. We then explore the technological, economic, fuel production and infrastructure implications of realizing this scenario over the long term. This provides a number of policy insights by identifying critical developments required for the emergence of a sustainable global passenger transport and energy system. Author Affiliation: Energy Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Austria Article History: Received 8 August 2005; Revised 2 October 2005; Accepted 3 October 2005

A study was conducted to examine the toxic effects of linoleic acid hydroperoxide (LoaOOH) to Saccharomyces cerevisiae using a wild-type yeast and isogenic mutants affected in known antioxidant defense systems. Results reveal the resistance of the bacteria to hydrogen peroxide upon pretreatment of LoaOOH. In addition, it was observed that the yeast's defense systems help in the direct and indirect detoxification of fatty acid hydroperoxides.

The toxicity of malondialdehyde (MDA) on yeast cells was analyzed to determine the ability of the microorganisms to detoxify the reactive aldehyde. Exposure of wild-type Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells to nonlethal concentrations of MDA and subsequent exposure to lethal doses of the aldehyde induced cellular resistance. Furthermore, adaptation response to MDA was mediated by yAP1 which encoded a yeast transcription activator that was homologous to the mammalian AP-1 protein.

Byline: Hal Turton, Leonardo Barreto The transitions in the global automobile sector in the 21st century are uncertain both in terms of technologies and energy carriers. A key driving force of technological change in the long term could be the need to mitigate GHG emissions. This paper examines the role of the passenger car sector in a GHG mitigation strategy and presents a scenario of the automobile technology choices when a price on greenhouse gas emissions is imposed on the global energy system. The analysis has been conducted with ERIS, a multiregional energy systems, 'bottom up' optimisation model that endogenises technology learning and allows a detailed technology representation, in addition to capturing competing demands for transportation fuels, including hydrogen. Our results provide some policy insights by illustrating the potential for hydrogen to contribute to climate change mitigation, but show that fuel cell cars are an option for climate policy only over the very long term.

Byline: Leonardo Barreto, Hal Turton Impact assessment of policy instruments is an important element of the policy development process. It represents a systematic attempt to shed light on the possible effects of policy proposals. This paper assesses the impact of two representative policy instruments, namely energy-related Demonstration and Deployment (D&D) programmes and a carbon-equivalent (C-eq) tax, on sustainability indicators in the areas of climate change and security of energy supply, two important dimensions of sustainable development. Specifically, we pay attention to the effectiveness of these policy instruments in stimulating technological change that could lead to a more secure and climate-benign global energy system in the long-term future. Although the numerical results presented here are specific to our particular analysis and highly dependent on the characteristics and limitations of our modelling tools, we offer this analysis as a contribution towards the development of more comprehensive methodologies for the assessment of impacts of policy instruments in the context of the quest towards a sustainable global energy system.