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by Amber Mahone, Regional Plan Association
By the year 2050, America's population is expected to grow by 40 percent, adding 120 million individuals. While this growth presents many economic and social opportunities for America as a nation, it also means higher energy demand and higher resource consumption. Current estimates show that under a business-as-usual scenario, without new policies to increase energy efficiency, energy consumption will increase faster than population growth. Per capita energy consumption is projected to increase by 0.3 percent per year until 2030.
by Amber Mahone, Regional Plan Association
By the year 2050, America's population is expected to grow by 40 percent, adding 120 million individuals. While this growth presents many economic and social opportunities for America as a nation, it also means higher energy demand and higher resource consumption. Current estimates show that under a business-as-usual scenario, without new policies to increase energy efficiency, energy consumption will increase faster than population growth. Per capita energy consumption is projected to increase by 0.3 percent per year until 2030.
Putting a price on carbon emissions, and taking other important steps
to reduce America's consumption of foreign oil, will help the country
improve its trade deficit and maintain a position of economic
competitiveness, by leading in the development of low-carbon,
high-efficiency technologies. Taking steps now to adapt to the impacts
of climate change is also a smart investment, and will increase the
nation's resilience in the face of rising sea levels, more intense
storms, and hotter weather.
This paper is part of a series prepared by America 2050 for the Rockefeller Foundation Global Urban Summit in July 2007.
This paper is part of a series prepared by America 2050 for the Rockefeller Foundation Global Urban Summit in July 2007.
