Thank you for this great series of posts, I learned a lot reading them and will dig deeper into some of the references provided! Now, I agree with you that this is probably a very important and neglected topic.
While reading this I had a thought on maximizing utility in this situation. Wouldn’t it make sense to prioritize low energy societies now when it comes to building new renewable energy sources? I guess in those societies we still have a chance to substitute all energy that is currently consumed with renewable sources. This would mean those societies wouldn’t get into much (further) trouble and could have a rather smooth transition into the post fossil fuel area. Whereas spending most of the resources available for this topic in countries with a high energy consumption seems like an odd choice because here only a small fraction of the necessary energy can be substituted and this probably won’t help for a smooth transition.
As for your suggestion to prioritize low energy societies now when building new renewable energy sources, I think this makes sense. Building a new energy network dependent on fossil fuels probably isn’t the best of ideas for these countries, and would smoothen the transition. I had rich countries in mind because that’s where I am and have the most data, but that’s a good point you’re making.
Thank you for this great series of posts, I learned a lot reading them and will dig deeper into some of the references provided! Now, I agree with you that this is probably a very important and neglected topic.
While reading this I had a thought on maximizing utility in this situation. Wouldn’t it make sense to prioritize low energy societies now when it comes to building new renewable energy sources? I guess in those societies we still have a chance to substitute all energy that is currently consumed with renewable sources. This would mean those societies wouldn’t get into much (further) trouble and could have a rather smooth transition into the post fossil fuel area. Whereas spending most of the resources available for this topic in countries with a high energy consumption seems like an odd choice because here only a small fraction of the necessary energy can be substituted and this probably won’t help for a smooth transition.
Glad you found it useful !
As for your suggestion to prioritize low energy societies now when building new renewable energy sources, I think this makes sense. Building a new energy network dependent on fossil fuels probably isn’t the best of ideas for these countries, and would smoothen the transition. I had rich countries in mind because that’s where I am and have the most data, but that’s a good point you’re making.