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Profitable solutions for oil, climate, and proliferation
The author contends that energy efficiency and decentralized renewables are more profitable and faster to deploy than traditional energy sources. By increasing energy productivity and adopting 'micropower', the U.S. and other nations can eliminate oil dependence and reduce carbon emissions without relying on costly subsidies or mandates. Furthermore, the author suggests that the economic failure of nuclear power will naturally hinder nuclear proliferation by reducing the availability of civilian nuclear materials.
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Document type: Research paper
Imagine a World...
In a 2007 speech, Amory B. Lovins advocates for 'linked, multiplying solutions' to global problems, envisioning a future where energy efficiency, distributed renewables, and advanced biofuels replace oil, coal, and nuclear power. He describes a world where carbon emissions decline profitably, resource waste is eliminated through biomimicry and integrative engineering, and global stability is achieved through the removal of energy-driven conflicts and the adoption of a resource-efficient human population.
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Document type: Statement
FY 08 Appropriations for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency: Full House and Senate Committee Vote for Increase in EE/RE Funding
The House and Senate both proposed significantly higher funding for DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EE/RE) programs for FY 2008 than the Administration's request. The House bill (H.R. 2641) appropriated $1.98 billion, while the Senate bill (S. 1751) appropriated $1.72 billion. Both legislative bodies restored funding for geothermal energy and hydropower, which the Administration had eliminated, and increased budgets for solar, wind, and biomass R&D. Additionally, both the House and Senate increased funding for fossil fuel R&D while appropriating less than the Administration's request for nuclear power.
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Document type: Briefing
Discussion Paper on an Environment Outlook for Canada
The document proposes the creation of an Environment Outlook for Canada (EOC), an integrated environmental assessment designed to move beyond traditional state-of-the-environment reporting by focusing on future-oriented scenarios. It details the potential scope of the EOC, including key topical issues like climate change and water quality, and suggests a time horizon of 20 to 30 years. The paper emphasizes the need for a participatory process involving policy-makers, shapers, and takers to ensure the assessment is salient, credible, and legitimate. It recommends a feasibility analysis and the development of a formal proposal by fall 2007, suggesting that the EOC could be hosted by an independent secretariat to maintain credibility.
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Document type: Research paper
Taming Coal
The policy brief asserts that because coal is likely to remain a significant part of the global power supply through 2050, the world must transition from coal combustion to integrated coal gasification combined cycle (IGCC) technology. IGCC is presented as the most viable path to reducing sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury emissions, while providing a more efficient means of carbon capture and storage compared to retrofitting combustion plants. The author calls for a ban on new coal combustion plants, the rapid deployment of commercial IGCC 'reference' plants in the United States to encourage global adoption, and the large-scale demonstration of geologic carbon storage. Additionally, the document advocates for reforming coal mining practices, regulating toxic solid waste, and reducing water consumption.
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Document type: Policy brief
Wind Power in New England
The document advocates for wind power as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels and nuclear energy, particularly in New England. It details the severe environmental and health costs of conventional energy—including CO2 emissions, air pollution, water consumption, and land degradation—while positioning wind energy as a low-impact solution with minimal land footprints and no operational emissions.
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Document type: Fact sheet
From Hegemony to Champion: South Africa and Strategic Balance
The document analyzes South Africa's strategic shift from its role as a dominant power in southern Africa during and after the apartheid era to a leader of the 'Global South'. It examines how South Africa uses its influence in the UN and within non-aligned blocs to challenge Western diplomatic dominance and advocate for a more equitable global order. The author highlights specific diplomatic actions regarding Iran and Myanmar as evidence of this strategy to shift power away from the UN Security Council toward the General Assembly and other non-Western constellations.
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Document type: Research paper
FUTILITY AT THE UTILITY
For two decades, Detroit Edison tested a critical safety system at Fermi Unit 2 using an outdated 'answer key,' failing to verify if the system met current safety standards. Despite numerous audits and inspections by both the company and the NRC, the error persisted from 1986 to 2006.
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Document type: Report
Nuclear Power and Climate Change
The document is a series of exchange entries between Amory Lovins, Peter Bradford, and R. Stephen Berry. Lovins argues that nuclear power is a 'market loser' and that 'negawatts' (energy efficiency) and micropower are faster, cheaper, and more effective climate solutions. Bradford supports this view, highlighting the high financial risks, the need for massive taxpayer subsidies, and proliferation concerns. Conversely, Berry argues that energy efficiency alone cannot meet the growing energy demands of developing nations like China and India, and that nuclear power is a necessary, reliable, and potentially cost-competitive option if carbon costs are internalized.
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Document type: Report
What can we do to fix the climate problem?
The author contends that climate solutions are profitable rather than costly, as saving fuel is cheaper than purchasing it. By increasing global energy productivity to approximately 3% per year and removing market barriers to energy efficiency, carbon emissions can be stabilized. The text highlights 'micropower' and 'negawatts' as economically superior alternatives to nuclear power and traditional centralized electricity, suggesting that a transition away from oil and toward a diverse, renewable system is driven by business logic and market forces.
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Document type: Research paper
Letter to John Sauven, Greenpeace, re Legal action over the UK Energy Review 2006
Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) argues that the UK government failed to meet its 2003 promise of 'fullest public consultation' before deciding to support new nuclear power stations. SGR criticizes the 2006 Energy Review for using a minimum consultation period, using misleading questioning that implied an early policy stage, and failing to provide substantive views on critical nuclear power issues.
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Document type: Statement
Una Respuesta de la Sociedad Civil al Marco de Inversión del Banco Mundial para Energía Limpia y Desarrollo
The document argues that the World Bank's energy investment framework is a continuation of 'more of the same', failing to transition from fossil fuels to renewables. It highlights a contradiction where the Bank acts as a major carbon trader while continuing to fund projects that emit massive amounts of greenhouse gases. The report criticizes the Bank's promotion of 'clean coal', nuclear energy, and large dams, asserting these technologies cause significant environmental and social harm. It calls for a redirection of public finance from the North to the South toward decentralized renewable energy and energy efficiency to meet the needs of the world's poor.
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Document type: Report
Unlearned Lessons of Year-plus Reactor Outages
The report analyzes 51 'year-plus' reactor outages in the U.S. since 1966, finding that over 70% were caused by systemic 'safety restoration' needs resulting from inadequate corrective action programs (CAPs). It argues that the NRC has failed to monitor safety margins effectively, often relying on optimistic perceptions rather than reality, and recommends that the NRC improve CAP assessments, expand generic communications to include non-hardware problems, and increase transparency with Congress.
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Document type: Report
Buy Green Power
The document outlines how U.S. consumers can support renewable energy via green pricing, green marketing, and Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). It contrasts the environmental benefits of renewables—such as wind, solar, and geothermal—against the pollution and health risks associated with coal, oil, nuclear power, and natural gas. It also provides tools for verifying green power claims, including the Green-e certification and the Power Scorecard tool.
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Document type: Guide
Energy Security in Asia: China, India, Oil and Peace
India and China are experiencing rapid economic growth and a corresponding surge in energy consumption, leading to an increasing reliance on imported oil, primarily from the Persian Gulf. Both nations are pursuing similar strategies to mitigate this vulnerability: diversifying import sources, acquiring equity oil through overseas investments, building strategic petroleum reserves (SPRs), and shifting toward natural gas and nuclear power. While there are efforts toward Sino-Indian energy cooperation, such as joint bids for oilfields in third countries, competition remains high, particularly in contested areas like Burma. The report outlines three future scenarios: 'Increased cooperation,' 'Conflict in East Asia' (centered on Taiwan and Japan), and 'The Middle East explodes' (a full-scale resource war). It recommends that Norway support energy efficiency, clean coal and gas technologies, and the inclusion of China and India in the International Energy Agency (IEA).
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Document type: Report
How innovative technologies, business strategies, and policies can dramatically enhance energy security and prosperity
The document outlines a strategy for U.S. energy independence based on three pillars: resilient infrastructure, phasing out unreliable fuel sources, and eliminating oil reliance. It advocates for decentralized 'micropower' over nuclear power to reduce proliferation risks and suggests that oil use can be eliminated by the 2040s through tripled-efficiency vehicles and advanced biofuels at a fraction of the current market price of oil.
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Document type: Briefing
Nuclear power: economics and climate-protection potential
The paper asserts that nuclear power is a 'market loser' compared to windpower, cogeneration, and energy efficiency. It claims that nuclear power's high costs and long lead times result in a high opportunity cost, where investments in nuclear power displace far more carbon-reducing capacity than they provide. The author argues that a diversified portfolio of decentralized resources is faster, cheaper, and larger in potential than nuclear power, and that government subsidies for nuclear energy retard overall climate protection efforts.
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Document type: Research paper
The Role of South Africa in Global Structural Policy
The document analyzes South Africa's transition from a pariah state to a regional hegemon and global middle power, examining its macroeconomic shifts, socio-economic challenges, and foreign policy. It details South Africa's engagement with the WTO, the AU, and the EU, while highlighting domestic risks such as HIV/AIDS, unemployment, and political succession. The paper concludes by proposing three future scenarios for South Africa and corresponding strategies for German development cooperation.
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Document type: Research paper
SGR/AESR Response to the Consultation on the UK Climate Change Programme
AESR and SGR argue for more aggressive domestic emission reductions in the UK, specifically targeting the transport sector through higher fuel duties and a renewable transport fuels obligation. They advocate for redirecting military R&D funding toward sustainable energy, implementing mandatory energy-efficiency ratings for home sales, and expanding the Emissions Trading Scheme to non-energy intensive sectors. The response emphasizes the need for a highly trained workforce for micro-CHP installation and warns against ocean-based carbon storage due to environmental risks.
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Document type: Statement
Twenty Hydrogen Myths
The document argues that the technical and economic barriers to a hydrogen economy have been largely resolved. It proposes a decentralized transition strategy starting with fuel cells in buildings and efficient vehicles, utilizing existing natural gas infrastructure as a near-term bridge to renewable sources. The author contends that hydrogen fuel cells are significantly more efficient than internal combustion engines, making hydrogen cost-competitive per mile driven despite higher energy costs per unit. The paper dismisses safety concerns, infrastructure costs, and environmental risks as myths, asserting that a well-designed transition would reduce oil dependence and carbon emissions without requiring a massive federal 'crash program'.
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Document type: Research paper