Ebook: Social Costs of Energy: Present Status and Future Trends

Although present day politics seems to be preoccupied with questions of economic growth and full employment, the basic environmental problems stemming from the interactions of the economic sphere with global, regional and local environments persist and will have an even greater impact in the future. If economy and ecology are not reconciled in the years to come, mankind will not have a sustainable future on Earth. The typical negation of environmental problems in times of economic crisis is partially due to the fact that environmental and health damages of economic activities are neither priced nor included in our market price system. This allows politicians to focus their attention on insufficient economic indicators which do not reflect the actual development of the welfare of society. If economic lead indicators like GDP or balance of trade figures were better integrated with information on the environmental and health costs caused by the seemingly beneficial economic development, politicians might have better guidance as to what policy choices would benefit society most.

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The social or external costs of energy have received a high degree of international attention since the publication of the first empirical results in 1988. Possible global climate change and the call for a sustainable future of mankind have put the question of social costs onto many national and international political agendas. At the same time, an intense international scientific discussion has been sparked off, searching for the best methodological approaches and reliable empirical data. An overview of this discussion was given by the report on the 1st international workshop published in 1991. This book reports on the 2nd international workshop on the subject and gives a broad overview of the discussion in the 25 papers presented. It is the most comprehensive picture of this subject matter available.

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The social or external costs of energy have received a high degree of international attention since the publication of the first empirical results in 1988. Possible global climate change and the call for a sustainable future of mankind have put the question of social costs onto many national and international political agendas. At the same time, an intense international scientific discussion has been sparked off, searching for the best methodological approaches and reliable empirical data. An overview of this discussion was given by the report on the 1st international workshop published in 1991. This book reports on the 2nd international workshop on the subject and gives a broad overview of the discussion in the 25 papers presented. It is the most comprehensive picture of this subject matter available.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-VIII
Introduction and some Conclusions from the Conference....Pages 1-3
Front Matter....Pages 5-5
The Social Costing Debate: Issues and Resolutions....Pages 7-37
Perspectives on Incorporation of Environmental Externalities....Pages 38-57
The Prospects for the Use of Environmental Benefit Assessment in the EC....Pages 58-67
Why Utilities Should Incorporate Externalities....Pages 68-72
Internalization of External Costs During the Crisis of Environmental Policy or as a Crisis for Economic Policy....Pages 73-78
Front Matter....Pages 79-79
Estimating the Impacts, Damages and Benefits of Fuel Cycles: Insights from an Ongoing Study....Pages 81-97
Identification and Incorporation of External Costs Associated with Energy Use....Pages 98-115
Measuring the External Costs of Fuel Cycles in Developing Countries....Pages 116-132
Evaluation of the External Costs of a UK Coal Fired Power Station on Agricultural Crops....Pages 133-149
Economics of Nuclear Risks — A German Study....Pages 150-166
Environmental Impacts of Photovoltaics/Solar Energy....Pages 167-176
External Costs of Rational Use of Energy....Pages 177-193
Economic Impacts of Electricity Supply Options....Pages 194-211
Front Matter....Pages 213-213
Evaluation of Instruments for the Incorporation of Externalities....Pages 215-227
Pollution Taxes — The Preferred Means of Incorporation of Environmental Externalities....Pages 228-247
A Prudent CO2 Reduction Policy: Melding Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches....Pages 248-256
Consideration of Environmental Externality Costs in Utility Buy Back (PURCHASE) Rates....Pages 257-264
The Indispensability of Externality Valuation in Least-Cost Planning....Pages 265-278
State Externalities Policy and Carbon Dioxide Emissions: Who Bears the Risks of Future Regulation?....Pages 279-286
Front Matter....Pages 213-213
Incorporating Global Warming Externalities through Environmental Least Cost Planning: A Case Study of Western Europe....Pages 287-312
Observations on Extending the Set of Externalities to be Quantified....Pages 313-333
An Overview of Taxes and Trading as Environmental Control Policies....Pages 334-350
Utility Externalities and Emissions Trading: California is Developing a Better Way....Pages 351-369
Front Matter....Pages 371-371
From Social Costing to Sustainable Development: Beyond the Economic Paradigm....Pages 373-404
Beyond External Costs — A Simple Way to Achieve a Sustainable Energy Future, International and Intergenerational Equity by a Straightforward Reinvestment Surcharge Regime....Pages 405-425
Back Matter....Pages 427-431

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The social or external costs of energy have received a high degree of international attention since the publication of the first empirical results in 1988. Possible global climate change and the call for a sustainable future of mankind have put the question of social costs onto many national and international political agendas. At the same time, an intense international scientific discussion has been sparked off, searching for the best methodological approaches and reliable empirical data. An overview of this discussion was given by the report on the 1st international workshop published in 1991. This book reports on the 2nd international workshop on the subject and gives a broad overview of the discussion in the 25 papers presented. It is the most comprehensive picture of this subject matter available.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-VIII
Introduction and some Conclusions from the Conference....Pages 1-3
Front Matter....Pages 5-5
The Social Costing Debate: Issues and Resolutions....Pages 7-37
Perspectives on Incorporation of Environmental Externalities....Pages 38-57
The Prospects for the Use of Environmental Benefit Assessment in the EC....Pages 58-67
Why Utilities Should Incorporate Externalities....Pages 68-72
Internalization of External Costs During the Crisis of Environmental Policy or as a Crisis for Economic Policy....Pages 73-78
Front Matter....Pages 79-79
Estimating the Impacts, Damages and Benefits of Fuel Cycles: Insights from an Ongoing Study....Pages 81-97
Identification and Incorporation of External Costs Associated with Energy Use....Pages 98-115
Measuring the External Costs of Fuel Cycles in Developing Countries....Pages 116-132
Evaluation of the External Costs of a UK Coal Fired Power Station on Agricultural Crops....Pages 133-149
Economics of Nuclear Risks — A German Study....Pages 150-166
Environmental Impacts of Photovoltaics/Solar Energy....Pages 167-176
External Costs of Rational Use of Energy....Pages 177-193
Economic Impacts of Electricity Supply Options....Pages 194-211
Front Matter....Pages 213-213
Evaluation of Instruments for the Incorporation of Externalities....Pages 215-227
Pollution Taxes — The Preferred Means of Incorporation of Environmental Externalities....Pages 228-247
A Prudent CO2 Reduction Policy: Melding Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches....Pages 248-256
Consideration of Environmental Externality Costs in Utility Buy Back (PURCHASE) Rates....Pages 257-264
The Indispensability of Externality Valuation in Least-Cost Planning....Pages 265-278
State Externalities Policy and Carbon Dioxide Emissions: Who Bears the Risks of Future Regulation?....Pages 279-286
Front Matter....Pages 213-213
Incorporating Global Warming Externalities through Environmental Least Cost Planning: A Case Study of Western Europe....Pages 287-312
Observations on Extending the Set of Externalities to be Quantified....Pages 313-333
An Overview of Taxes and Trading as Environmental Control Policies....Pages 334-350
Utility Externalities and Emissions Trading: California is Developing a Better Way....Pages 351-369
Front Matter....Pages 371-371
From Social Costing to Sustainable Development: Beyond the Economic Paradigm....Pages 373-404
Beyond External Costs — A Simple Way to Achieve a Sustainable Energy Future, International and Intergenerational Equity by a Straightforward Reinvestment Surcharge Regime....Pages 405-425
Back Matter....Pages 427-431
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