Energy Policy and Sustainability Seminar (ENV 391)
Dr. Lucas Johnston
Seminar Meeting Times: MW 1:00-2:15pm
Room: 019 Winston
Dates: January 13-March 3, 2010
Credits: 1.5
Course Overview:
This course was conceived as a seminar complementary to the Energizing the Future Conference,
held at Wake Forest February 9-10, 2010. Students will be required to attend two discussion
sessions each week, which will revolve primarily around the assigned readings, and will be asked to
perform independent research on a topic related to the conference themes.
Learning Outcomes:
Students should have a basic understanding of the following issues related to energy policy:
 Existing legislative incentives and public policies related to energy production and
consumption
 The economics of energy production and consumption
 Opportunities for entrepreneurial innovation in energy production
 Opportunities for increasing energy efficiency
 Positive and negative aspects of some energy policy proposals
 The positive and negative aspects of some energy technologies
Required Texts:
Friedman, Thomas. 2009. Hot, Flat, and Crowded. New York: Picador. (Note: Be sure to get the most
recent edition).
Additional readings:
All required readings (aside from Friedman’s book), and some of the supplementary readings are
posted on Blackboard. Please see the bibliography at the end of this syllabus for all supplementary
readings. (Hint: some of these may be good starting places for your own independent research
projects.)
Office Hours and Student Communication:
I will be in my office every Monday and Wednesday from 12:00-1:00 pm. I strongly encourage you
to come to my office hours to discuss the material, or to go over any questions you may have. In the
event you cannot make it to my office hours, I would be glad to make an appointment with you at a
different time provided I have at least twenty-four hours notice. I much prefer in-person meetings
to email. I am glad to answer minor clarifications through email, but I generally will not respond to
emails regarding late or missing assignments, or absences.
Assignments and Grading:
The primary determinants for your grade in this course will be your attendance and participation in
the seminar discussions and the quality of your independent research project (see details below).
You will also receive grades for three “progress reports” related to your independent project.
Attendance and Participation in Seminar: 40%
Up to 2.75 points can be earned for each class period. For each class, a student receives one point
for attendance, and up to 1.75 points for contributing to the discussion.
Independent Research Project: 40%
Students will be graded on:
a) Quality of background research on chosen topic—this includes demonstrating a grasp of
relevant literature and engaging the perspectives of several stakeholders in the analysis.
b) Quality of the written presentation—the paper should follow a logical and coherent
structure throughout, should include a clearly stated thesis sentence describing the
problem at stake, and a carefully reasoned analysis of the issue.
c) Quality of the report to the class—this portion of the grade will be derived from
students’ class presentation of their independent research project. Students will be
expected to provide a summary of the background of your problem and a brief
articulation of the analysis/argument in approximately 10-15 minutes.
Progress Reports: 20%
o Progress report 1: This should be a quick list of possible topics of interest after looking over
the conference website and the list of suggested readings. With each possible topic you
select, try to articulate some of the possible specific questions that you think might be worth
further investigation.
o Progress report 2: Your topic should be selected, and at this point you should have done
some preliminary research into data sources for your project. This report should include a
statement of topic, a description of the problem and what is at stake, and a list of the
potential stakeholders involved in its resolution.
o Progress report 3: This should include a brief statement of the problem, and a brief outline
of your research, and a bibliography. If possible you should make this outline a draft of your
paper outline.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Jan 13, Wednesday
Introduction to the Course and to Energy Issues
Jan 18, Monday, MLK Holiday (no class)
Jan 20, Wednesday
Introduction to Energy Policy
1. Brown, Lester. Plan B 3.0, chapter 3, available online at: http://www.earthpolicy.org/index.php?/books/pb3/pb3_table_of_contents (and on Blackboard)
Jan 25, Monday
No class. 1st progress report turned in on Blackboard’s Digital Dropbox by the end of class
period.
1. Friedman, Thomas. HFC. “When the Market and Mother Nature Hit the Wall,” and
“Where We Are,” pp. 28-59; 74-84.
Jan 27, Wednesday,
1. Lovins, Amory and L. Hunter Lovins. “Preface” (2001 edition). Brittle Power: Energy
Strategy for National Security (on Blackboard).
Feb 1, Monday,
Friedman, Thomas. HFC. “Where We Are,” pp. 85-144.
Feb 3, Wednesday,
2nd progress report
1. Costanza, Hassol, Kasser, and Speth, “Some Convenient Truths: Scaling back our
energy-hungry lifestyles means more of what matters, not less,” Grist Environmental
News and Commentary (on Blackboard).
2. Klare, Michael. “The Intensifying Global Struggle for Energy,” from the Global Policy
Forum: http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/154/25915.html.
Feb 8, Monday,
1. Remarks by President Obama on Clean Energy, Trinity Structural Towers
Manufacturing Plant, Newton, Iowa. Available online at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-in-Newton-IA/
2. Lovins, Amory, interviewed by Thomas Friedman. Available online at:
http://www.rmi.org/rmi/Videos
Feb 10, Wednesday,
1. Friedman, Thomas. “Where We Are,” pp. 194-209; 263-287
Feb 15, Monday,
3rd progress report
1. Friedman, Thomas. HFC. “How We Move Forward,” pp. 288-319; 320-352
Feb 17, Wednesday
1. Brown, Lester. Plan B 3.0. Ch. 12, “Turning to Renewable Energy,” available online at
http://www.earth-policy.org/index.php?/books/pb3/pb3_table_of_contents (and
on Blackboard).
Feb 22, Monday,
1. Friedman, Thomas. HFC. “How We Move Forward,” pp. 353-372.
Feb 24, Wednesday
Focus on your project, and come ready to discuss some of the obstacles you faced in
your research.
Mar 1, Monday
Research Presentations
Mar 3, Wednesday
Research Presentations
Supplementary Recommended Readings:
BOOKS AND JOURNAL ARTICLES:
Tomain, Joseph and Richard Cudahy. 2004. Energy Law in a Nutshell. Eagan, MN: Thompson
West.
The National Commission on Energy Policy. Ending the Energy Stalemate: A Bipartisan
Strategy to Meet America’s Energy Challenges, December 2004, pp. ii-xiv and p. 119,
http://www.energycommission.org/ewebeditpro/items/O82F4682.pdf
Costanza, Robert et al. 2008. “An Integrative Approach to Quality of Life Measurement,
Research and Policy.” Surveys and Perspectives Integrating Environment and Society.
1:1-5. Available online at: www.surv-perspect-integr-environ-soc.net/1/11/2008/.
Georgescu-Roegen, Nicholas. 1975. “Energy and Economic Myths,” Southern Economic
Journal, Vol. 41, No. 3.
Byrne, John, Kristen Hughes, Wilson Rickerson, and Lado Kurdgelashvili. 2007. "American
policy conflict in the greenhouse: Divergent trends in federal, regional, state, and
local green energy and climate change policy." Energy Policy, Vol. 35, No. 9
(September): 4555-4573.
Byrne, John, Noah Toly, and Leigh Glover (eds.) 2006. Transforming Power: Energy,
Environment, and Society in Conflict. Volume 9 in the Energy and Environmental
Policy Series. New Brunswick, NJ and London: Transaction Publishers.
Doppelt, Bob. 2003. Leading Change Toward Sustainability: A Change Management Guide for
Business, Government, and Civil Society. Sheffield, UK: Greenleaf Publishing.
Mathai, Manu V. 2009. “Elements of an Alternative to Nuclear Power as a Response to the
Energy-Environment Crisis in India: Development as Freedom and a Sustainable
Energy Utility.” Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society, Vol. 29, No. 2: 139-150.
Hargroves, Karlson and Michael Smith. 2005. The Natural Advantage of Nations: Business
Opportunities, Innovation and Governance in the 21st Century. Washington, DC:
Earthscan.
Hughes, Kristen. 2009. “An Applied Local Sustainable Energy Model: The Case of Austin,
Texas.” Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society, Vol. 29, No. 2: 108-123.
Hermans, Caroline, Richard Howarth, Thomas Noordewier, Jon D. Erickson. “Constructing
Preferences in Group Deliberative Processes,” in Christos Zografos and Richard
Howarth (eds.) Deliberative Ecological Economics, pp. 50-79.
Hawken, Paul, Amory Lovins and H. Hunter Lovins. 1999. Natural Capitalism. New York:
Back Bay Books. Especially chapter 12.
Hannon, Bruce. 1978. “Energy Use and Moral Restraint: Wherein are contrasted the views
of the economist and the engineer on the use of finite resources,” Journal of Social
and Biological Structures, Vol. 1, pp. 357-375. Reprinted in Herman Daly (ed.)
Economics, Ecology and Ethics. New York: HH Freeman and Co.
Lovins, Hunter and Amory Lovins. 1989. “How Not to Parachute More Cats” (on
Blackboard)
Mulder, Kenneth and John Hagens. 2008. “Energy Return on Investment: Toward a
Consistent Framework.” Ambio: A Journal of Human Environment. Volume 32, No. 2,
pp. 74-79.
McNeill, John R. 2007. “Social, Economic and Political Forces in Environmental Change:
Decadal Scale (1900 to 2000). In Costanza, Robert, Lisa Graumlich and Will Steffen
(eds.) Sustainability or Collapse?: An Integrated History and Future of Life on Earth.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Voinov, Alexey and Hal Cardwell, “The Energy-Water Nexus: Why Should We Care?” Journal
of Contemporary Water Research & Education, Issue 143, pp. 17-29.
Sharma, M. and B.G. Norton, "A Policy Decision Tool for Integrated Environmental
Assessment," Environmental Assessment and Policy 8(2005): pp. 356-366.
Lovins, Amory and L. Hunter Lovins, “Energy Surprises for the 21st century.” (on
Blackboard)
Fisher, B. and R. Costanza. 2006. Regional Commitment to Reducing Emissions: Local
policy in the United States goes some way towards countering anthropogenic
climate change. Nature, 438:301-302.
Kobos, P., Erickson, J.D. and T.E. Drennen, "Technological Learning and Renewable Energy
Costs: Implications for U.S. Energy Policy," Energy Policy 34(13): 1645-1658, 2006.
Kanagawa, Makoto and Toshihiko Nakata. “Analysis of the energy access improvement and
its socio-economic impacts in rural areas of developing countries”. Ecological
Economics, Volume 62, Issue 2, 20 April 2007, Pages 319-329.
Banerjee, Abhijit. Barry D. Solomon Eco-labeling for energy efficiency and sustainability: a
meta-evaluation of US programs. Energy Policy, Volume 31, Issue 2, January 2003,
Pages 109-123.
Byrne, John , Young-Doo Wang, Hoesung Lee, Jong-dall Kim. “An equity- and sustainabilitybased policy response to global climate change.” Energy Policy, Volume 26, Issue 4,
March 1998, Pages 335-343.
Zhang, L.X. , Z.F. Yang, G.Q. Chen. “Emergy analysis of cropping–grazing system in Inner
Mongolia Autonomous Region, China.” Energy Policy, Volume 35, Issue 7, July 2007,
Pages 3843-3855.
Buchholz, Thomas S. , Timothy A. Volk, Valerie A. Luzadis. “A participatory systems
approach to modeling social, economic, and ecological components of bioenergy.”
Energy Policy, Volume 35, Issue 12, December 2007, Pages 6084-6094.
Von Weizskcker, Ernst, Amory Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins. 1998. Factor Four: Doubling
Wealth, Halving Resource Use—A Report to the Club of Rome. London: Earthscan.
Lovins, Amory. 2006. “How innovative technologies, business strategies, and policies
Can dramatically enhance energy security and prosperity,” Invited Testimony to
United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Hearing on Energy
Independence, SD-366, 0930–1130 Tuesday 7 March.
Brown, Garry. Electricity Policy: A Call for a National Solution? Presentation to the Harvard
Electricity Policy Group 53rd Plenary Session, December 11, 2008. 39 pages.
American Wind Energy Association and the Solar Energy Industries Association. Green
Power Superhighways Building a Path to America’s Clean Energy Future. February
2009. 28 pages.
Lovins, Amory. “Winning the Oil Endgame: Executive Summary.” Available at
www.oilendgame.org.
Meadows, Donella et al. 2004. Limits to Growth: The 30 Year Update. White River Junction,
VT: Chelsea Green Publishing.
Parker, Leslie et al. 2007. “From Barriers to Opportunities: Renewable Energy in Law and
Policy.” A Report on the Renewable Energy and International Law Project, Report 11,
New Have: Yale University Forestry and Environmental Sciences.
POLITICAL THEORY (not explicitly about energy but relevant to governance themes
discussed in class)
Ophuls, William. 1977. Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity: A Prologue to a Political Theory
of the Steady State. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman and Co.
Prugh, Thomas, Robert Costanza, and Herman E. Daly. The Local Politics of Global
Sustainability. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 2000.
Sen, Amartya. 2000 [1999]. Development as Freedom. New York: Anchor Books.
Torgerson, Douglas. The Promise of Green Politics: Environmentalism and the Public Sphere.
Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1999.
Wapner, Paul. Environmental Activism and World Civic Politics. Albany: State University of
New York Press, 1996.
World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED). 1987. Our Common Future.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Wright, Robin. 1988. “Anthropological Presuppositions of Indigenous Advocacy.” Annual
Review of Anthropology 17: 365-90.
Young, Iris Marion. 2001. “Activist Challenges to Deliberative Democracy.” Political Theory,
Vol. 29, No. 5: 670-690.
LINKS:

www.energy.gov

www.energy-autonomy.com (http://www.energyautonomy.com/index.php?article_id=29&clang=1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5jRECFIEhs

https://www.dodlegacy.org/legacy/index.aspx

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/hepg/

http://web.mit.edu/nuclearpower/

www.nrdc.org

http://bipartisanpolicy.org/projects/national-commission-energy-policy/

http://www.myfootprint.org/

http://www.actoncopenhagen.decc.gov.uk/content/en/embeds/flash/4-degreeslarge-map-final

http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/4degrees/programme.php

www.rmi.org

www.natcapsolutions.org