Energy Policy and Sustainability

Dear Colleagues,

Renewable energy and energy conservation are crucial to sustainability and are on the forefront of the policy agenda. Yet, fundamental questions such as the following remain unanswered:

Innovation Policy. Major technological innovations will be required to meet 2050 emissions goals. What mix of legal/policy instruments can best promote the necessary level of innovation?

Decision Making Under Uncertainty. Infrastructure decisions (such as grid construction) involve uncertainty about future technologies – for example, about the mix of wind and solar power in twenty years. Uncertainty about downside risks of climate change relates to the desired level of emissions controls. How do we make policy in the face of these uncertainties?

International Spillovers. We do not have a firm grasp on the international spillover effects of national climate policy, in the form of “leakage” or of indirect effects on land use. How large are these effects and how should they affect policy?

Energy Policy and the Non-Developed World. Effective methods are needed to promote sustainable energy use in rapidly developing countries such as China. How can that goal be achieved? How can we ensure the availability of sustainable energy for the poorest nations. This symposium will focus on these and related unanswered fundamental questions.

Prof. Dr. Daniel A. Farber
Guest Editor