How industrial societies use energy: a comparative analysis
Why is per capita consumption of primary energy resources so much higher in the United States than in other advanced industrial countries whose per capita income does not differ appreciably from that of the United States. If the answer to the question points to the possibility that the American standard of living can be maintained at a much lower level of energy use, such a finding could have major significance for the direction and eventual payoff from conservation strategies that the United States might see fit to undertake. What is offered in this study is a first step toward answering this question. It is a quantitative reconnaissance in which the authors depict the comparative patterns of energy consumption for nine countries that are considered to have high incomes by international standards. These countries are: United States, Canada, France, West Germany, Italy, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Sweden, and Japan. Further, they identify those components of energy consumption that give rise to variations between countries in the relationship between energy use and national output. Finally, they interpret, as far as possible, the respective contributions of (1) economic structure and (2) characteristics of energy utilization to the intercountry variations in energy and output. Where the data permit, underlying factors--such as relative price differences and demographic features--are woven into the analysis. Policy aspects and lessons for the U.S., along with other considerations that were found to be fairly elusive, enter into the discussion less often. This is because of the fact that study in this field has barely begun, and the authors felt that an effort to lay out facts and disentangle quantitative relationships was a worthwhile and sufficiently complex task to be the central focus in this initial undertaking.
- OSTI ID:
- 5286959
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
International variations in energy use: findings from a comparative study
How industrial societies use energy: a comparative analysis
Related Subjects
290100* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Energy Analysis & Modeling
298000 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Consumption & Utilization
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320000 -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization
ASIA
CANADA
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ENERGY ANALYSIS
ENERGY CONSERVATION
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
EUROPE
FRANCE
GERMAN FEDERAL REPUBLIC
GLOBAL ASPECTS
INDUSTRY
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
ITALY
JAPAN
MANUFACTURING
NETHERLANDS
NORTH AMERICA
RESOURCE CONSERVATION
SCANDINAVIA
SWEDEN
UNITED KINGDOM
USA
VARIATIONS