INTRODUCTION

Life requires the transformation of materials (solid and liquid) into energy to support bodily functions, and energy is also needed to produce and acquire these materials. Therefore, human history can be analyzed by tracing the evolution of the energy mix over the centuries from basic primary sources to more refined and versatile forms. Mankind has experienced two major energy eras: the first covered most of human history, lasted up to the early 19^th century, and was based on unrefined renewable resources (fuelwood and fodder for working animals); the second, which started in the 20^th century and lasted one and one-quarter centuries, was dominated by the widespread use of fossil fuels. In between, for about three-quarters of a century, there was a transitional period during which coal replaced fuelwood as the major energy source. We are about to enter a new transitional period from fossil fuel dominance to the next, and perhaps final, renewable energy era.

The first renewable energy era was characterized by a variety of specific features. The production of goods involved the exclusive use of animate energy (human and beast) and most of the energy use served to meet basic survival needs of heating and cooking. The industrial sector was very limited and the transportation network consisted largely of trails and waterways. The severe constraints on food production resulting from the absence of technological innovations and inanimate energy combined with poor sanitation restricted population growth. Due to the low  and stagnant population level and the limited energy consumption per capita, the ecological footprint of human activity in the first energy era was very light. At the personal level, the limitations on the material side were offset by emotional and spiritual richness resulting from an extended framework of social relationships and institutions, dominated by extended families, clans, and faith organizations. Faith and family compensated for what was missing at the dinner table.  

This economic and social structure based on unprocessed renewable resources was upended by the introduction and ascent of fossil fuels. This radical change, which gained momentum in the transition period during most of the 19^th century with the expanded us of coal, accelerated in the following century with the addition of hydrocarbons and the development of electricity. This new energy age, which I call the Great Energy Transformation, is soon coming to an end. Eventually it will be replaced by a new renewable energy era where the economy and people’s everyday life are fueled by refined forms of renewable energy operating in the dynamic context of rapid technological change.  The length and shape of this transition will depend on the combination of human behavior and government policy.      

The Great Energy Transformation was the most impactful change in human history. It freed humanity from the constraints of animate energy, and gave impetus to an industrial revolution which through time has morphed into a new digital age. In the process it revolutionized transportation, reinvented the economic structure, stimulated economic growth, and raised living standards beyond the dreams of medieval kings. This global transformation was aided by a set if government programs that I call supply-based policies. This convergence of interests among political leaders, business magnates, and consumers with insatiable appetites, led to an economic and social system fraught with widespread negative consequences. The implementation of supply-based energy policy directed at sustaining the pursuit of unconstrained growth has resulted in the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases that have contributed to global warming, a climate change that has intensified catastrophic weather events threatening food security and the safety of entire areas and rendering parts of the globe unsuitable for human habitation.  It has contributed to the increase in international and intra-national inequality of income and wealth because most of the benefits of growth have been received by rich countries and rich individuals. It has also led to greater instability of macroeconomic aggregates as the attempts to stimulate economic activity have created increasing levels of public and private debt and have resulted in growth through bubbles that periodically burst. Supply-based energy policies that complement the pursuit of unconstrained growth have also warped the moral compass that guides human behavior. The focus on material wellbeing has created dangerous imbalances in the fulfillment of human needs �" physical, emotional, intellectual spiritual- which has resulted in widespread dissatisfaction in the midst of plenty.

Continuing on this course will ensure the persistence of the negative effects described above: higher atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases, increasing frequency and higher intensity of catastrophic weather events, accelerated depletion of non-renewable resources, widening international and intra-national inequality of income and wealth, intensifying international conflicts, higher economic instability, dissatisfied individuals, and fragile social connections. 

 

As an alternative I suggest an approach to energy policy that supports the pursuit of Sustainable Progress. “Progress” is a normative term which directs economic growth not just to improvements in the global material standard of living, but also to the reduction of economic inequality and of the concentration of economic and political power, the strengthening of democratic institutions and practices, inclusiveness, and a social environment conducive to personal growth and social cohesion. “Sustainable” means that “progress” is not achieved at the expense of the environment, international and intra-national equity, and peace. Instead, it serves to enhance the health of this planet, foster international co-operation, and reduce economic disparities. The pursuit of sustainable progress envisions a humanity

that acknowledges its responsibilities to other human beings, even those who are unknown to us, our obligation to minimize the impact of our actions on the wellbeing of others, and our commitment to bequeathing to future generations a healthy planet and thriving institutions of justice and peace.

 

I suggest that sustainable progress be pursued through demand-based policies aimed at reducing our energy and material footprint. I also suggest that these policies be implemented through a process of cooperative subsidiarity, where priority is given to local measures supported financially by central governments.

Reducing the overall demand for energy in order to speed-up the process of decarbonization, shrinking the environmental footprint of human activity, and shortening the length of the transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy requires a shift in the value system that guides human behavior. In addition to recognizing the harmful effects of our behavior and our obligations to nature, our fellow humans, and future generations, we need to apply the principle of functionality in our relationship to material things: using them for the function for which they were produced and in quantities sufficient to perform that function. The more we adjust our behavior in favor of environmental sustainability, the less we need government intervention. We gain greater freedom as we do willingly what would otherwise be imposed by policy.  

The combination of demand-based policies and changes in the moral compass has the advantage of minimizing the personal and social costs of restoring ecological balance because it proposes only the elimination of non-functional uses of goods, often resulting from conspicuous consumption. Through this process, the ecological restoration will be associated with personal renewal, a more balanced life, and stronger connection with nature and with fellow human beings.