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Discussion and Conclusions

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Switching Off

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Energy ((ENERGYANALYS))

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Abstract

In this chapter, we begin with a summary of the key themes of this book: the serious ecological sustainability problems our planet faces; that in the Anthropocene, these problems are increasingly of our own making; that technological solutions are less effective because solutions to one problem can aggravate the other problems; that global inequality is high and still rising. The chapter then discusses some possible changes that could both improve ecological sustainability and global equity. The first of these changes would address the unpaid external costs of FF combustion and use, possibly through carbon taxes. Then the possible changes to transport and agriculture, both important energy-consuming sectors, are used as examples. We then assess the feasibility of these changes, arguing that the lessons from the current epidemic, together with the rise of extreme weather events experienced by an ever-increasing share of the global population, open up space for more rapid social and economic changes. Nevertheless, while the changes are possible to achieve, success is not guaranteed, especially in the near term.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Design, Caulfield Campus, Monash University, Caulfield East, VIC, Australia

    Patrick Moriarty

  2. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Damon Honnery

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  1. Patrick Moriarty
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  2. Damon Honnery
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Moriarty, P., Honnery, D. (2022). Discussion and Conclusions. In: Switching Off. SpringerBriefs in Energy(). Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-0767-8_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-0767-8_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-19-0766-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-19-0767-8

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