Fueling a Competitive Economy

Romm, Joseph J.; Lovins, Amory B.

doi:10.2307/20045402

Cited by 10 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…16 For example, Romm & Lovins 1993 have suggested that plans that focus on DSM are important in maintaining a competitive economy. 17 DSM is based on the service provided by energy consumption and, in the case of biofuels, the service is personal mobility. Therefore, a DSM approach applied to personal mobility would entail scaling back fuel demand while maintaining the same mobility level.…”

Section: Environmental Science and Technologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This represents a supply side based approach whereas several of those conducting energy analyses have argued that demand side management (DSM) is an alternative strategy for rational energy use . For example, Romm & Lovins 1993 have suggested that plans that focus on DSM are important in maintaining a competitive economy . DSM is based on the service provided by energy consumption and, in the case of biofuels, the service is personal mobility.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A Biorefinery for Mobility?

Pacca

Moreira

2011

Environ. Sci. Technol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Biofuels are considered as a carbon neutral alternative to hydrocarbons in the transport sector and this approach has triggered concerns about the impact the production of biofuels might have on land usage. Another option that might also lead to reduced emissions in the transport sector is electricity based on renewable energy sources such as biomass. Below, we assess the benefits and drawbacks of the joint production of ethanol and electricity in a sugar cane based refinery, and the use of both energy forms in privately owned automobiles. In this analysis, we have considered technology for energy production that is currently available and cost competitive. The results show that the amount of land that is required to power our current automobile use needs is less than what is typically stated. According to our results that are based on 2010 values, 2 million ha of land are sufficient to power the Brazilian automobile fleet, 25 million ha are enough to satisfy the needs of the U.S. fleet, and 67 million ha are sufficient to cover the global autofuel requirements. When minor efficiency gains are considered, 19 million ha will be enough to satisfy the fuel needs of the U.S. fleet in 2030, whereas land required to supply the Brazilian and global fleet remain basically unchanged. Our analysis shows that the harvested energy density of sugar cane is 306 GJ/ha/yr, which is 1.7 times the value usually reported in the literature for biofuels. As a result, taking advantage of the primary energy potential of sugar cane, only 4% of the world's available cropland area would be sufficient to produce fuels that would power the global car fleet.

show abstract

Section: Environmental Science and Technologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Biorefinery for Mobility?

Pacca

Moreira

2011

Environ. Sci. Technol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…One of the rain-forests that is being most rapidly depleted is not in Amazonia or Borneo but the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, USA, due primarily to subsidies from the US Government. Similarly 'perverse' subsidies foster massive misuse and over-use of water, fertilizer, pesticides (Repetto, 1986;Faeth et al, 1991;Pimentel, 1993), and energy (Kosmo, 1987;Holdren, 1991;Romm &Lovins, 1992) -all with adverse repercussions of both environmental and economic kinds.…”

Section: Strategies For Reducing Environmental Degradationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An allied planning strategy lies with correction of pricing policies, especially to reflect externalities (Pearce et al, 1989(Pearce et al, , 1991. Were the price of gasoline (petrol) in the United States to internalize the costs of urban smog, acid rain, low-level ozone pollution, and global warming, plus the expense of securing Persian Gulf oil (as well as to reflect the many subsidies in support of the petroleum and automobile industries), the 'true' price would be at least four times the present price (Romm, 1992;Romm & Lovins, 1992).…”

Section: Strategies For Reducing Environmental Degradationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population, Environment, and Development

Myers

1993

Envir. Conserv.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We face major and intimately interlinked problems of population, environment, and development. They are so profound and pervasive that they surely represent a uniquescale challenge for Humankind. The issues and policy responses will preoccupy the best understanding on the part of political leaders and scientists alike during the planning process leading up to the United Nations Conference on Population and Development which is to be held in Cairo from 5–13 September 1994.Scientific aspects are to be addressed at an earlier conference that is to be attended by representatives of some 80 of the world's academies in New Delhi in late October 1993. The present paper reviews the principal factors and analyses relating to the three problems, with emphasis upon their interactive relationships. It concludes with an extended list of strategies to reduce both population growth and environmental degradation—twin challenges to be tackled within a framework of sustainable development, to which both will make critical contributions.

show abstract