Sustainable and Unsustainable Developments in the U.S. Energy System

• Author: Mark D. Levine and Nathaniel T. Aden
• Pages: 145-157

CHAPTER 10

Sustainable and Unsustainable Developments

in the U.S. Energy System

Mark D. Levine and Nathaniel T. Aden

Over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, the United States de-

veloped a wealthy society on the basis of cheap and abundant fossil

fuel energy. As fossil fuels have become ecologically and economi-

cally expensive in the 21st century, America has shown mixed prog-

ress in transitioning to a more sustainable energy system. From 2000

to 2006, energy and carbon intensity of GDP continued favorable

long-term trends of decline. Energy end-use efficiency also continued

to improve; for example, per capita electricity use was 12.76 MWh per

person per year in 2000 and again in 2006, despite 16 percent GDP

growth over that period. Environmental costs of U.S. energy produc-

tion and consumption have also been reduced, as illustrated in air

quality improvements. However, increased fossil fuel consumption,

stagnant efficiency standards, and expanding corn-based ethanol pro-

duction have moved the energy system in the opposite direction, to-

ward a less sustainable energy system.

This chapter reviews energy system developments between 2000

and 2006 and presents policy recommendations to move the United

States toward a more sustainable energy system.

Sustainable Development

To paraphrase the Brundtland Commission, sustainability is de-

fined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the

ability of future generations to meet their needs.1Regarding energy

production and consumption, sustainability primarily addresses is-

sues of the environment, economics, and the political system. The cri-

teria for measuring sustainable energy usage constantly shift in re-

sponse to resource availability, costs, and new technologies. Like-

wise, the meaning of sustainable energy varies by geographic area:

What is sustainable for the United States through its energy imports is

unsustainable for the rest of the planet. Aside from moral and ethical

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