There is a growing sense of national urgency about the role of energy in long-term U.S. economic vitality, national security, and climate change. This urgency is the consequence of many factors, including the rising global demand for energy; the need for long-term security of energy supplies, especially oil; growing global concerns about carbon dioxide emissions; and many other factors affected to a great degree by government policies both here and abroad.



On March 13, 2008, the National Academies brought together many of the most knowledgeable and influential people working on energy issues today to discuss how we can meet the need for energy without irreparably damaging Earth's environment or compromising U.S. economic and national security-a complex problem that will require technological and social changes that have few parallels in human history.



The National Academies Summit on America's Energy Future: Summary of a Meeting chronicles that 2-day summit and serves as a current and far-reaching foundation for examining energy policy. The summit is part of the ongoing project 'America's Energy Future: Technology Opportunities, Risks, and Tradeoffs,' which will produce a series of reports providing authoritative estimates and analysis of the current and future supply of and demand for energy; new and existing technologies to meet those demands; their associated impacts; and their projected costs. The National Academies Summit on America's Energy Future: Summary of a Meeting is an essential base for anyone with an interest in strategic, tactical, and policy issues. Federal and state policy makers will find this book invaluable, as will industry leaders, investors, and others willing to convert concern into action to solve the energy problem.



Table of Contents


Front Matter
Part I: The Current Context
1 A Growing Sense of Urgency
2 The Challenge of Global Warming
3 The Developing World - The Case of China
Part II: Energy Supplies
4 Petroleum and Natural Gas
5 Coal
6 Nuclear Power
7 Biofuels
8 Other Renewable Sources of Energy
Part III: Energy Uses
9 Transportation
10 Buildings and Industry
Part IV: Meeting the Challenge
11 Pathways to a Sustainable Future
12 The Public Sector Response
13 The Role of the Private Sector - The Case of Google
14 Barriers and Potential
References
Appendixes
Appendix A: America's Energy Future Project
Appendix B: Speakers at the Summit
Appendix C: Summit Agenda
Appendix D: Units of Measure and Equivalences