Energy Efficiency Means No Regrets

Assenza, Marit P (1996). Energy efficiency means no regrets. Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy , 11, 82-85.

Should we wait and see how hot it's going to get or should we act now to prevent global warming caused by greenhouse gases? Marit P. Assenza, a management consultant in Oslo, Norway, says many economists support a "no regrets" policy that, in the absence of certainty about the future, allows for economic savings while curbing emissions at the same time. Many countries, including Norway, "have already committed themselves to investing in such preventive policies," Assenza says. In the early 1990s, Norway "launched a program aimed at giving private companies incentives to make investments in energy efficiency," Assenza notes. Bakeries, for example, used funds provided by the program to apply a technology already in use in metal-processing: heat from the ovens was rerouted to help heat the rest of the plant, resulting in significant energy savings. To encourage company executives to adapt to change, "public policies aimed at dismantling barriers, increasing information flows, and enhancing the diffusion of new innovations make sense," Assenza says.

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