Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Business Competitiveness: The Fragility of Interdependence

Considering the EU's energy needs in the coming decade leads the author to the conclusion that current policies are at best inadequate, and at worst they may be disastrous for the European economy. While no government can solve all current energy problems at once, a large assembly of 27 nation-states, each with its own agenda, priorities, constraints, and resource and investment considerations makes compromises inevitable and the search for efficient solutions so much more complex.Here, in one volume, issues relating to energy production through alternative means, the efficient use of energy, and the environmental consequences of its production and consumption are comprehensively addressed, together with related topics such as water supply.The author argues that Europe cannot be viewed in isolation. Global interdependence means that issues relating to industrialization and population control in less developed and developing countries are critical to business competitiveness and employment in Europe and the rest of the developed world. Dr Chorafas' uncomfortable, but as he sees it, inevitable conclusion is that the salient unresolved problem is not energy shortage or carbon production, but overpopulation.