ABSTRACT
Scientists studying the Earth’s climate began to speculate about the influence of development on the atmosphere and global temperatures as early as the 1890s, when Svante Arrhenius, a Swedish chemist, first suggested that human activities, including industrialization, could impact global temperatures. Energy planners were chastened by the failure to anticipate the oil embargo, and subsequent changes in the demand and supply of important energy sources. Alternative, “greener” scenarios include higher energy prices, use of oil to help create a renewable energy infrastructure, and extensive reliance on natural gas as a transition fuel. The results of public policy on the energy industry are exemplified in the character of the laws enacted, regulatory actions taken, court decisions handed down, and the behaviors and attitudes expressed by legislatures and the public on energy industry operations and issues.
