Abstract
In resolving questions about the energy growth rate in Canada, two basic routes are possible: to allow costs and prices to adjust sufficiently to bring supply and demand into balance, presumably at a lower energy growth rate, or to adopt the normative propostion that some explicit choice should be made about target rates of energy consumption. This essay suggests that Canada should follow the latter route and that policies should be adopted to move Canada to a position close to zero energy growth by the year 2000. The thesis is that such a target is both feasible and desirable, with emphasis on the latter. Desirability is defined very broadly to include economic, social and environmental aspects. This essay attempts to answer basic questions about the nature of a low-energy alternative for Canada. In particular, energy conservation is associated with a larger construct called the conserver society, involving goals such as moderation in scale and in rates of change, emphasis on personal contact and community, and maintenance of a wide diversity of people and activities, as well as with the more obvious connotations of reduced material throughput and an improved environment. In this construct, zero energy growth is quite compatible with
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Citation Formats
Brooks, D B.
Zero energy growth for Canada: necessity and opportunity.
Canada: N. p.,
1976.
Web.
Brooks, D B.
Zero energy growth for Canada: necessity and opportunity.
Canada.
Brooks, D B.
1976.
"Zero energy growth for Canada: necessity and opportunity."
Canada.
@misc{etde_6876222,
title = {Zero energy growth for Canada: necessity and opportunity}
author = {Brooks, D B}
abstractNote = {In resolving questions about the energy growth rate in Canada, two basic routes are possible: to allow costs and prices to adjust sufficiently to bring supply and demand into balance, presumably at a lower energy growth rate, or to adopt the normative propostion that some explicit choice should be made about target rates of energy consumption. This essay suggests that Canada should follow the latter route and that policies should be adopted to move Canada to a position close to zero energy growth by the year 2000. The thesis is that such a target is both feasible and desirable, with emphasis on the latter. Desirability is defined very broadly to include economic, social and environmental aspects. This essay attempts to answer basic questions about the nature of a low-energy alternative for Canada. In particular, energy conservation is associated with a larger construct called the conserver society, involving goals such as moderation in scale and in rates of change, emphasis on personal contact and community, and maintenance of a wide diversity of people and activities, as well as with the more obvious connotations of reduced material throughput and an improved environment. In this construct, zero energy growth is quite compatible with Canadian conditions that require major attention to space heating and a large transportation sector. Combined with the fact that the energy intended to be conserved includes all non-renewable energy and any other energy produced under capital-intensive, centralized conditions, but not small solar, biomass or wind plants, which can be accepted without destroying the conserver society values, it is felt that there is abundant energy for Canadians to live very well. 41 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs.}
place = {Canada}
year = {1976}
month = {May}
}
title = {Zero energy growth for Canada: necessity and opportunity}
author = {Brooks, D B}
abstractNote = {In resolving questions about the energy growth rate in Canada, two basic routes are possible: to allow costs and prices to adjust sufficiently to bring supply and demand into balance, presumably at a lower energy growth rate, or to adopt the normative propostion that some explicit choice should be made about target rates of energy consumption. This essay suggests that Canada should follow the latter route and that policies should be adopted to move Canada to a position close to zero energy growth by the year 2000. The thesis is that such a target is both feasible and desirable, with emphasis on the latter. Desirability is defined very broadly to include economic, social and environmental aspects. This essay attempts to answer basic questions about the nature of a low-energy alternative for Canada. In particular, energy conservation is associated with a larger construct called the conserver society, involving goals such as moderation in scale and in rates of change, emphasis on personal contact and community, and maintenance of a wide diversity of people and activities, as well as with the more obvious connotations of reduced material throughput and an improved environment. In this construct, zero energy growth is quite compatible with Canadian conditions that require major attention to space heating and a large transportation sector. Combined with the fact that the energy intended to be conserved includes all non-renewable energy and any other energy produced under capital-intensive, centralized conditions, but not small solar, biomass or wind plants, which can be accepted without destroying the conserver society values, it is felt that there is abundant energy for Canadians to live very well. 41 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs.}
place = {Canada}
year = {1976}
month = {May}
}