Energy policies for sustainable development in developing countries

Policy Perspectives: Environmental Management and Renewable Energy in the Pacific Islands

“…According to some commentators, in order to meet energy demands, these island governments may have to reduce their investments in infrastructure, industrial, fishery and agricultural development, and allocate more financial resources to their energy sectors (Burnett, 1992). Local and trans-boundary pollutants from energy-related activities degrade environmental quality in many urban and some rural regions throughout the world (Abdalla, 1994;Natural Resources Forum Editorial Staff, 1996). As in other regions, energy supply and consumption has caused, or resulted in, deterioration of a range of social and environmental problems in the Pacific Island region (South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, 1992a).…”

“…In national energy policies, they should include clear statements about renewable energy and explicit energy targets, as well as short, middle and long-term tasks and practical measures. In particular, there should be a phasing out of subsidies for conventional energy consumption in a way that takes care of the situation of people on low incomes, who now benefit from these subsidies (Abdalla, 1994;Goldemberg & Johansson, 1995).…”

“…As energy issues are significantly related to socio-economic and environmental factors, efforts to achieve sustainable development in the region should involve the development of policies on energy supply and consumption (Abdalla, 1994). Establishing sustainable energy systems could be an important strategy for socio-economic and environmental management in the region.…”

Technological Change

“…This question has not been studied in a systematic way. However, case studies on technical change in less industrialized countries, especially in relation to energy, suggest that there are many technological, economic, and socio-institutional barriers to such technical leapfrogging (Jhirad 1990, Abdalla 1994. The conditions for a complex technology to function well are often difficult to create in less industrialized countries, where many imported technologies have fallen into obsolescence or perform badly.…”