Competing Dimensions of Energy Security: An International Perspective

How well are industrialized nations doing in terms of their energy security? Without a standardized set of metrics, it is difficult to determine the extent that countries are properly responding to the emerging energy security challenges related to climate change, growing dependence on fossil fuels, population growth and economic development. In response, we propose the creation of an Energy Security Index to inform policymakers, investors and analysts about the status of energy conditions. Using the United States and 21 other member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as an example, and looking at energy security from 1970 to 2007, our index shows that only four countries¡ªBelgium, Denmark, Japan, and the United Kingdom¡ªhave made progress on multiple dimensions of the energy security problem. The remaining 18 have either made no improvement or are less secure. To make this argument, the first section of the article surveys the scholarly literature on energy security from 2003 to 2008 and argues that an index should address accessibility, affordability, efficiency, and environmental stewardship. Because each of these four components is multidimensional, the second section discusses ten metrics that comprise an Energy Security Index: oil import dependence, percentage of alternative transport fuels, on-road fuel economy for passenger vehicles, energy intensity, natural gas import dependence, electricity prices, gasoline prices, sulfur dioxide emissions, and carbon dioxide emissions. The third section analyzes the relative performance of four countries: Denmark (the top performer), Japan (which performed well), the United States (which performed poorly), and Spain (the worst performer). The article concludes by offering implications for policy. Conflicts between energy security criteria mean that advancement along any one dimension can undermine progress on another dimension. By focusing on a 10-point index, public policy can better illuminate such tradeoffs and can identify compensating policies

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Assessing U.S. energy policy

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The Importance of Utilizing Older Workers as They Become a More Significant Factor in America\u27s Work Force

This thesis will focus on the study of how America\u27s companies are beginning to realize what a valuable asset their older employees have become. These people bring years of experience, knowledge , skill and loyalty to the work place. Contrary to stereotypes of older workers being slow, inflexible, unproductive, costly, uncreative and not adaptable , organizations are discovering that these people in general do not fit this mold. Throughout history there has been a change in attitudes toward older individuals. During colonial America, age represented authority, power , arrogance and greed. Around the time of the American Revolution, equality among the classes emerged. Established status hierarchies, wealth structures and political authority were drastically altered . By the twentieth century, Americans began to view the older generation as a burden. Mandatory retirement laws were passed in order to make room for young workers . Today, the work force in the United States is becoming older due to improved life expectancies and declining birthrates. Companies are now considering ways to keep older workers employed by devising programs which are of interest to them. Some of these programs include phased retirement , job-sharing , flexible working times and places , dependent care and personal growth leaves of absence , temporary or consulting assignments, retraining and upgrading of skills , part-time jobs , dependent and elder care insurance , comprehensive health care insurance , retirement and career planning, redesigned jobs, and, very importantly, recognition of older workers\u27 accomplishments. Specifically, it is hypothesized that the shift in the work force to larger numbers of older workers and the declining numbers of younger workers has resulted in a need to continue to utilize the knowledge and abilities of the older workers. This, in turn, is resulting in a variety of unique programs designed to meet this need. This study of thirteen companies supports this hypothesis . Researchers find that it is essential and profitable to utilize older workers due to the predicted shrinking work force which will be countered by a continued increase in life expectancy

Vorticity-transport and unstructured RANS investigation of rotor-fuselage interactions

The prediction capabilities of unstructured primitive-variable and vorticity-transport-based Navier-Stokes solvers have been compared for rotorcraft-fuselage interaction. Their accuracies have been assessed using the NASA Langley ROBIN series of experiments. Correlation of steady pressure on the isolated fuselage delineates the differences between the viscous and inviscid solvers. The influence of the individual blade passage, model supports, and viscous effects on the unsteady pressure loading has been studied. Smoke visualization from the ROBIN experiment has been used to determine the ability of the codes to predict the wake geometry. The two computational methods are observed to provide similar results within the context of their physical assumptions and simplifications in the test configuration

NF04-608 Fighting Methamphetamine in Nebraska: Strategies for Individuals and Communities

This NebFact discusses a few ideas on to help protect your family, neighbors and community from dangers associated with methamphetamine (commonly called meth). You can implement these ideas as an individual, as part of a community plan, or develop your own strategies. The goal is not simply to educate your family on the hazards of using meth, but also to help protect them from the many other hazards posed by meth use and production

Impact of domestic energy-efficiency policies on foreign innovation:The case of lighting technologies

Fostering the global development of low-carbon technology is crucial to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. This paper analyzes the effect of energy-efficiency policies on lighting patenting between 1992 and 2007, using data for 19 OECD countries. We examine levels of energy-efficiency RD&D expenditures (representing a technology-push approach) and the stringency of energy-efficiency performance standards (representing a demand-pull approach). We find strong correlational evidence that both domestic demand-pull and technology-push policies positively affect domestic lighting patenting. We also provide strong correlational evidence that the demand-pull policy positively affects foreign lighting patenting; however, the technology-push policy does not. These findings suggest that demand-pull policies can help to transform international markets for low-carbon technology innovation, and they underscore the importance of the often-overlooked international dimension of domestic energy-efficiency policies. To the extent that our findings are generalizable, our research suggests that governance processes that strengthen energy performance standards and steady investment in RD&D could spur energy innovation in industrialized nations across the world