A smart energy policy : an economist's Rx for balancing cheap, clean, and secure energy

While everyone wants energy that is clean, cheap, and secure, these goals often conflict: traditional fossil fuels tend to be cheaper than alternative fuels, but they are hardly clean or (in the case of oil) secure. This timely book provides an easy-to-understand explanation of the issues as well as sensible proposals for a truly sustainable energy policy. Economist James Griffin points out that current energy policies are fatally flawed and that government policies should focus on “getting the prices right” so that the prices of fossil fuels reflect their true costs to society—including greenhouse gas and security costs. By using carbon and security taxes, alternative energy forms will be able to compete on a more even playing field against fossil fuels. This will unleash advances in alternative energy and conservation technologies enabling the marketplace and consumers to find the right balance among energy sources that are cheap, clean, and secure.

Everyone wants energy that is clean, cheap, and secure, goals which often conflict: traditional fossil fuels tend to be cheaper than alternative fuels, but they are hardly clean or (in the case of oil) secure. This book provides an explanation of the issues as well as sensible proposals for a truly sustainable energy policy. The author, an economist, points out that current energy policies are fatally flawed and that government policies should focus on “getting the prices right” so that the prices of fossil fuels reflect their true costs to society—including greenhouse gas and security costs. By using carbon and security taxes, alternative energy forms will be able to compete on a more even playing field against fossil fuels, which will unleash advances in alternative energy and conservation technologies, enabling the marketplace and consumers to find the right balance among energy sources that are cheap, clean, and secure.

Contents 5 Preface 7 Introduction: An Overview from 30,000 Feet 9 Chapter 1. The Three Conflicting Goals of Energy Policy 19 Chapter 2. The End of Cheap Oil? 38 Chapter 3. Oil Security in an Increasingly Insecure World 79 Chapter 4. Climate Change and the Search for Clean Energy 111 Chapter 5. Climate Change and the Difficult Search for Institutions and Policies 131 Chapter 6. A Smart Energy Policy 155 Notes 175 References 187 Index 197 While everyone wants energy that is clean, cheap and secure these goals often conflict: traditional fossil fuels tend to be cheaper than alternative fuels, but they are hardly clean or secure. This ia an accessible explanation of the issues as well as sensible proposals for a truly sustainable energy policy