RECONCILING ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEMANDS

IN VIEW OF THE PRESENT CONCERN OVER ENERGY, THE QUESTION INEVITABLY ARISES: "WHAT WOULD BE THE EFFECT OF A STATIC ENERGY SUPPLY ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE US?" QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) HAS BEEN DEFINED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY AS THE OPTIMAL BALANCING OF ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, & SOCIOPOLITICAL FACTORS. THE ECONOMIC & ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS ARE MOST OFTEN CONFLICTING, THOUGH PERHAPS LESS SO THAN OFTEN SUPPOSED. TRADE-OFFS ARE NECESSARY WHERE THE 2 FACTORS ARE CONCERNED TO ACHIEVE THE MAXIMUM QOL; IE, WHERE FOOD PRODUCTION IS CONCERNED THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY REQUIRED TO INCREASE YIELD, EVEN SLIGHTLY, HAS GROWN ENORMOUSLY--A SITUATION ENCOURAGING STABILIZATION OF ENERGY INPUT (WITH DUE ATTENTION TO POPULATION STABILIZATION AS WELL). LIKEWISE, WHERE THE PROBLEM OF AIR POLLUTION IS CONCERNED, THE MOST FEASIBLE METHOD AT PRESENT IS ESTABLISHING AN ENERGY CONSUMPTION CONSTANT, IMPLYING A MORE EFFICIENT USE OF ENERGY & CONSERVATION EFFORTS. ACCORDING TO RECENT REPORTS, THIS COULD REDUCE THE NATIONAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION BY 20%-30% WITHOUT NOTICABLY AFFECTING THE STANDARD OF LIVING. CONNECTED WITH THIS SUGGESTION IS THE NEED TO BUILD & ENCOURAGE THE USE OF MASS TRANSIT. FINALLY, CONSIDERABLE ENERGY SAVINGS ARE TO BE FOUND IN A RETHINKING OF OUR NEEDS FOR MATERIAL GOODS, OF THE CONCEPT OF PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE, & THE USE OF "THROW-AWAY PRODUCTS." THE ALTERNATIVE MOST IN LINE WITH THE CONOMIC FACTOR OF QOL IS TO PLACE NO RESTRICTIONS ON GROWTH OF ENERGY CONSUMPTION, THOUGH THE CONSEQUENCES OF SUCH ACTION COULD BE CATASTROPHIC, NOT ONLY IN THE INCREASED POLLUTION & DEPLETION OF THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT ALSO IN THE POSSIBLE CLIMATIC & OTHER GLOBAL EFFECTS SUCH ACTIVITY MIGHT HAVE. GIVEN SUCH POSSIBILITIES, & WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT ZERO ENERGY GROWTH--IF UNDERTAKEN GRADUALLY--NEED NOT AFFECT THE STANDARD OF LIVING IN ANY WAY BUT THE ELIMINATION OF SOME SUPERFLUITIES, IT SEEMS THE TIME HAS COME TO CHANGE OUR SOCIETY'S MOTTO FROM "MORE IS BETTER" TO "ENOUGH IS BEST." MODIFIED AA.