Energy Efficiency: The Best Immediate Option for a Secure, Clean, and Healthy Future*
Abstract
The imperatives for reducing
the world’s dependence on fossil
and nuclear fuels have multiplied
manifold in recent years with the
advent of worldwide terrorism. These
new dangers come in addition to the
imperatives of addressing the dire
consequences of global warming and
devastating pollution that accompany
the use of these fossil fuels. Reduc-
ing dependence on these unsafe and
unreliable energy resources should
be a top global priority. Implemen-
tation of proven energy efficiency
technologies offers the world the
fastest, safest, most economic, and
most environmentally benign way
to alleviate these threats. This article
outlines available efficiency measures,
their economic advantages, and means by which they may be and have
been implemented. While examples of efficiency applications from both
developed and developing countries are given, the article relies heavily
on experience with energy efficiency in the United States, where data
on efficiency is particularly abundant.
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