 |
|
|
ROYAL COMMISSION'S STUDY OF ENERGY AND
THE ENVIRONMENT:
Issues on which evidence is sought
| 1. |
In the light of political, economic and social constraints, what
key policies would be needed to force the pace of adoption of renewable
sources of energy in the UK on the scale required to replace fossil
fuels by the middle of the next century, and how could such policies
be implemented? |
| 2. |
Are there environmental impacts of renewable sources of energy which
would be critical limiting factors? |
| 3. |
Which renewable sources of energy are likely to offer the most scope
in technical terms in the UK? |
| 4. |
Is there a realistic prospect of technologies (for example for sequestration
of carbon at source of emission) that would help make some continuing
use of fossil fuels as an energy source acceptable? |
| 5. |
What might conventional nuclear power contribute? To what extent
will its contribution be dependent on:
| innovations in technology? |
| establishing valid disposal strategies for wastes? |
| public attitudes? |
|
| 6. |
Should fast breeder reactors or nuclear fusion be regarded as potentially
viable energy technologies in the next century? |
Improvements
in energy efficiency |
| 7. |
Can UK primary energy demand be stabilised by the middle of the
next century? Can it be reduced over that timescale, and if so by
how much? |
| 8. |
What are the actual and potential drivers and barriers for reducing
demand for energy? How are the drivers and barriers affected by the
structure and regulation of the energy market? How could the drivers
be enhanced and the barriers be reduced? |
| 9. |
In comparison with other strategies, how attractive is reducing
demand as a way of reducing the impact of energy on the environment? |
| 10. |
What contribution can increased efficiency of generation and distribution
make to reducing the environmental impact of energy? |
| 11. |
What more needs to be done to integrate a concern for energy efficiency
into professional training and practice in fields such as architecture,
engineering and land-use planning? |
| 12. |
How should considerations about energy efficiency enter into determinations
of what represents the best practicable environmental option and into
implementation of the EC Directive on Integrated Pollution Prevention
and Control? |
| 13. |
Where should lead responsibility lie for promoting energy efficiency,
and are additional powers required? |
Implications
of climate change |
| 14. |
What measures should be taken:
| in the UK |
| in the European Union |
| in other parts of the world |
in order to adapt to environmental changes that are inevitable as
a consequence of higher concentrations of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere? |
| 15. |
Is the factor which effectively limits utilisation of fossil fuel
reserves likely to be requirements to reduce emissions of greenhouse
gases, or the availability or distribution of reserves, or the relationship
between the cost of exploiting those reserves and the cost of competing
energy sources? How different are the respective limits on fossil
fuel use likely to be imposed by these three constraints? |
| 16. |
How will different strategies to reduce the impact of energy on
the environment affect different groups in society? |
| 17. |
How can approaches be developed to reconcile reductions in demand
for energy with greater equity in access to the services provided
by energy? |
| 18. |
What will be the health effects of different energy strategies? |
International
considerations |
| 19. |
Are future trends in market prices likely to move the UK energy
system in the desired direction, and if so how quickly? To the extent
that interventions in markets will be required, how far does the UK
have the ability to pursue its own energy policies? |
| 20. |
Should the UK adopt policies to phase out use of fossil fuels in
the absence of equivalent action by other countries? |
| 21. |
How should the UK seek to influence the development of policies
internationally to limit fossil fuel use? How can a sufficiently wide
coalition be formed to obtain agreement on a global carbon tax? |
| 22. |
Does research need to demonstrate specific national impacts of global
climate change before the people in a given country will be prepared
to support strong international action to counter it? |
| 23. |
What scope is there for the UK to profit from exporting or licensing
commercial technologies developed for clean energy supply? |
September 1998
Back to Energy and the Environment Report
|
|
