|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Energy is necessary for almost all facets of human existence: oil and gas for cooking and heating;
electricity for cooling, lighting, appliances and machines; gasoline and diesel fuel for transportation;
and a mix of energy supplies for myriad other purposes. Energy is necessary for every society at
every level of development, but as a general rule, energy consumption increases as societies become
more developed and their standard of living rises. The United States, for example, which boasts the
highest per capita gross domestic product (GDP) among nations of 10 million people or more, has
approximately 5 percent of the world’s population but consumes almost 25 percent of the world’s
energy supply each year. By adopting sensible end-use energy efficiency policies, we can begin to cut our dependence on foreign oil, strengthen our economy and reduce global warming. The fuel economy of conventional gasoline-powered light-duty vehicles, which include cars, sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks, can be increased to at least 35 miles per gallon by 2020 through steady improvements in internal combustion engines, transmissions, aerodynamics and other technologies. This can be done with technology that is available today or in the pipeline, with minimal changes in the performance of current vehicles. Widespread deployment of hy- brid or diesel technology can improve mpg further. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) are not a short-term solution to our oil needs, but rather a long-term option requiring fundamental science and engineering breakthroughs in several areas. Reducing global carbon emissions while the world’s economies continue to grow will not be easy. Science and technology, coupled with intelligent policymaking, provide the United States with the tools needed to achieve the goal at home and stimulate success in other parts of the world. Of all policy and technology options, the one that has the greatest potential in the next two de- cades is improving energy efficiency, particularly end-use efficiency in buildings and transportation. These two sectors together account for almost 70% of total domestic carbon emissions. However, elected officials, policymakers, industrial leaders and the public have paid scant attention to energy efficiency in the past. But with oil and gasoline prices skyrocketing, foreign supplies increasingly insecure and global warming widely accepted as a scientific reality, energy efficiency is gaining cur- rency as a policy issue, an economic issue and a research and development issue. | ||||||||||||||||||||