The World in 2030

The World in 2030 173
The development of renewable energy - particularly
energy from wind, water, solar power and biomass - is another
central aim of the European Commission’s energy policy.
Renewable energy has an important role
to play in reducing Carbon Dioxide (CO 2
)
emissions – a major Community objective.
In creasing the share of renewable energy in the energy
balance enhances sustainability. It also helps to
improve the security of energy supply by reducing
the Community’s growing dependence on imported
energy sources.
Renewable energy sources are expected to be economically
competitive with conventional energy
sources in the medium to long term. 329
Consumer education, political thinking and cultural attitudes
play a large part in shaping how we consume energy and
how much energy we consume. The United States has a
population equal to only 5 per cent of the global total but the
nation consumes 25 per cent of the world’s energy. Europe
has a far lower consumption of energy but the standard of
living is just as high as in the USA
In ‘The Extreme Future’ James Canton sums up the
American cultural attitude to energy use as follows:
The American public, unlike the Europeans, has
been spoiled by cheap oil, which has created the
illusion of plenty while the reality of diminished reserves
has escaped public scrutiny. The Europeans