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SOFT VERSUS HARD: AN AUSTRALIAN STUDY OF AN IDEOLOGICAL BASIS TO ATTITUDES TOWARDS ENERGY USE AND SUPPLY
Author(s) -
Knight Laurence O. P.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
canadian geographer / le géographe canadien
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.35
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1541-0064
pISSN - 0008-3658
DOI - 10.1111/j.1541-0064.1990.tb01068.x
Subject(s) - per capita , fossil fuel , natural resource economics , consumption (sociology) , energy consumption , global warming , energy supply , environmental impact of the energy industry , petroleum , environmental protection , environmental science , agricultural economics , energy (signal processing) , economics , economy , climate change , energy policy , waste management , ecology , engineering , renewable energy , population , chemistry , social science , sociology , statistics , demography , mathematics , organic chemistry , biology
A distinguishing factor of western societies is their consumption of energy. In 1986, Canada, the United States, and Australia had per capita consumption rates of 6.3, 4.7, and 3.2 times the global rate, respectively (DIESA 1988). Much of this energy is supplied by fossil fuels. At present, fossil fuels are economically attractive and their relatively high energy densities make them particularly attractive for transport purposes. However, their supply is finite (particularly in the case of petroleum) and their consumption produces atmospheric pollution. The depletion of fossil fuels or a rapid global warming of the atmosphere may eventually force changes in the way developed countries use energy (Lowe 1989). As everyone is an energy consumer, changes in consumption at a societal level are linked with changes at a personal level.