Long-Term Integration of Renewable Energy Sources into the European Energy System (Environmental and Resource Economics)

A sustainable European energy system, mitigating climate change and solving a number of other key environmental problems, will require massive reliance on renewable energy sources combined with a sharp increase in energy productivity. Considering that most of the technoplogies necessary for such a development are already available, today's most important questions are: How can these technologies be integrated into the European energy system? What are the costs and benefits of such a strategy? What are the major bottlenecks and obstacles to such a development? What measures are necessary to support this development? In the book a "sustainable scenario" and a "fair-market scenario" are developed as a means to demonstrate that concepts for a sustainable future Eutopean energy supply are technically and economically feasible. In addition, they provide a positive vision for decisions to be made in the near furture. Boycotting tropical timber reduces its economic value and provides an incentive to burn down forests, making them available for subsequent agricultural use or livestock farming. In contrast, a certification scheme for sustainability produced timber (tropical or non-tropical) protects the forests by raising their economic value. This study examines the impact of a certification scheme on German demand for tropical timber. A partial-equilibrium model is developed for the German tropical timber market as a whole as well as for five important submarkets representing 50% of the total demand. The results reveal that a credible certification scheme can induce a significant expansion of demand for sustainability produced tropical timber. This holds true for a scheme restricted to Germany as well as for an OECD-wide approach Boycotting tropical timber reduces its economic value and provides an incentive to burn down forests, making them available for subsequent agricultural use or livestock farming. In contrast, a certification scheme for sustainably produced timber (tropical or non-tropical) protects the forests by raising their economic value. Examined here the impact of a certification scheme on German demand for tropical timber. A partial-equilibrium model is developed for the German tropical timber market as a whole as well as for five important submarkets representing 50% of the total demand. The results reveal that a credible certification scheme can induce a significant expansion of demand for sustainably produced tropical timber. This holds true for a scheme restricted to Germany as well as for an OECD-wide approach. A sustainable European energy system, mitigating climate change and solving a number of other key environmental problems, will require massive reliance on renewable energy sources combined with a sharp increase in energy productivity. Considering that most of the technologies necessary for such a development are already available, today's most important questions are: How can these technologies be integrated into the European energy system? What are the costs and benefits of such a strategy? What are the major bottlenecks and obstacles to such a development? What measures are necessary to support this development? In the book a'sustainable scenario'and a'fair-market scenario'are developed as a means to demonstrate that concepts for a sustainable future European energy supply are feasible. A sustainable European energy system, mitigating climate change and solving a number of other key environmental problems, will require massive reliance on renewable energy sources combined with a sharp increase in energy productivity. Considering that most of the technologies necessary for such a development are already available, today's most important questions How can these technologies be integrated into the European energy system? What are the costs and benefits of such a strategy? What are the major bottlenecks and obstacles to such a development? What measures are necessary to support this development? In the book a "sustainable scenario" and a "fair-market scenario" are developed as a means to demonstrate that concepts for a sustainable future European energy supply are feasible. Front Matter....Pages i-x Executive Summary....Pages 1-19 Introduction....Pages 21-35 Scenario for a Sustainable Future Energy System....Pages 37-126 A Fair-Market Scenario for the European Energy System....Pages 127-191 Bottlenecks and Obstacles — Success Stories and Measures....Pages 193-213 Appendix I: Bottlenecks and Obstacles — Elements of a Methodology for National Diagnosis....Pages 215-238 Appendix II: Additional Data and Figures....Pages 239-245 Back Matter....Pages 247-268 The Lti-research Group, (ed). Includes Bibliographical References (p. [253]-268)