296 ENERGY SOURCES—ALTERNATIVES
stimulated by economic measures such as taxation, that lead
to the internalization of all of the costs imposed on society
by their discharge, or by regulatory action. Regardless of
how controls are stimulated, however, the quality and form
of residuals and the cost of their control will depend ulti-
mately on the technological alternatives that are available.
Because of the complexity of both the energy system and
its impacts on the environment, it has been useful and will
be of more and more importance for the humanity to view
the subject from four reference points: ENERGY DEMAND,
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, ENERGY RESOURCES,
and ENERGY CONVERSION. Consideration of the existing
and projected patterns of ENERGY DEMAND, and a reviewof all of the ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS involved in sat-
isfying this demand, will serve to define the extent of the
conflict between energy and the environment as well as to
indicate trends that can aggravate or help to resolve the prob-
lem. Measures that can be taken to insure an adequate supply
of energy with minimum environmental damage are centered
on the availability of alternative ENERGY RESOURCES and
on ENERGY CONVERSION systems which help to protect
the environment or to harm it less by advanced or new con-
version technologies. In the short term, fuels may be treated,
modified, or substituted, and emission controls can be pro-
vided in fuel handling and in energy conversion operations,
while in the longer term the development of new resources0010002000300040005000100 200 300 400
Per capita energy utilization, 10^6 BtuPer capita gross national product, dollarsMexicoIndiaJapanFranceGermanyUnited KingdomAustraliaCanadaSwedenUnited StatesFIGURE 1 Relationship between per capita GNP and energy utilization for selected countries in 1968.1,3C005_006_r03.indd 296C005_006_r03.indd 296 11/18/2005 12:05:45 PM11/18/2005 12:05:45 PM