TY - CHAP
T1 - Summary for Policy Makers
AU - Johansson, Thomas B.
AU - Nakicenovic, Nebojsa
AU - Patwardhan, Anand
AU - Gomez-Echeverri, Luis
AU - Banerjee, Rangan
AU - Benson, Sally M.
AU - Bouille, Daniel H.
AU - Brew-Hammond, Abeeku
AU - Cherp, Aleh
AU - Coelho, Suani T.
AU - Emberson, Lisa
AU - Figueroa, Maria Josefina
AU - Grubler, Arnulf
AU - He, Kebin
AU - Jaccard, Mark
AU - Ribeiro, Suzana Kahn
AU - Karekezi, Stephen
AU - Larson, Eric D.
AU - Li, Zheng
AU - McDade, Susan
AU - Mytelka, Lynn K.
AU - Pachauri, Shonali
AU - Riahi, Keywan
AU - Rockström, Johan
AU - Rogner, Hans-Holger
AU - Roy, Joyashree
AU - Schock, Robert N.
AU - Sims, Ralph
AU - Smith, Kirk R.
AU - Turkenburg, Wim C.
AU - Ürge-Vorsatz, Diana
AU - von Hippel, Frank
AU - Yeager, Kurt
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - IntroductionEnergy is essential for human development and energy systems are a crucial entry point for addressing the most pressing global challenges of the 21st century, including sustainable economic and social development, poverty eradication, adequate food production and food security, health for all, climate protection, conservation of ecosystems, peace and security. Yet, more than a decade into the 21st century, current energy systems do not meet these challenges.A major transformation is therefore required to address these challenges and to avoid potentially catastrophic future consequences for human and planetary systems. The Global Energy Assessment (GEA) demonstrates that energy system change is the key for addressing and resolving these challenges. The GEA identifies strategies that could help resolve the multiple challenges simultaneously and bring multiple benefits. Their successful implementation requires determined, sustained and immediate action.Transformative change in the energy system may not be internally generated; due to institutional inertia, incumbency and lack of capacity and agility of existing organizations to respond effectively to changing conditions. In such situations clear and consistent external policy signals may be required to initiate and sustain the transformative change needed to meet the sustainability challenges of the 21st century.The industrial revolution catapulted humanity onto an explosive development path, whereby, reliance on muscle power and traditional biomass was replaced mostly by fossil fuels. In 2005, some 78% of global energy was based on fossil energy sources that provided abundant and ever cheaper energy services to more than half the people in the world.
AB - IntroductionEnergy is essential for human development and energy systems are a crucial entry point for addressing the most pressing global challenges of the 21st century, including sustainable economic and social development, poverty eradication, adequate food production and food security, health for all, climate protection, conservation of ecosystems, peace and security. Yet, more than a decade into the 21st century, current energy systems do not meet these challenges.A major transformation is therefore required to address these challenges and to avoid potentially catastrophic future consequences for human and planetary systems. The Global Energy Assessment (GEA) demonstrates that energy system change is the key for addressing and resolving these challenges. The GEA identifies strategies that could help resolve the multiple challenges simultaneously and bring multiple benefits. Their successful implementation requires determined, sustained and immediate action.Transformative change in the energy system may not be internally generated; due to institutional inertia, incumbency and lack of capacity and agility of existing organizations to respond effectively to changing conditions. In such situations clear and consistent external policy signals may be required to initiate and sustain the transformative change needed to meet the sustainability challenges of the 21st century.The industrial revolution catapulted humanity onto an explosive development path, whereby, reliance on muscle power and traditional biomass was replaced mostly by fossil fuels. In 2005, some 78% of global energy was based on fossil energy sources that provided abundant and ever cheaper energy services to more than half the people in the world.
U2 - 10.1017/CBO9780511793677.004
DO - 10.1017/CBO9780511793677.004
M3 - Chapter
SN - 9781107005198
SP - 3
EP - 30
BT - Global Energy Assessment
A2 - Team, Global Energy Assessment Writing
PB - Cambridge University Press
CY - Cambridge
ER -