ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the use of scenarios as a vehicle for stakeholder dialogue and participatory decision-making around energy by examining the outcomes of these citizens' panels. Energy is big business in Australia, with energy-related sectors such as electricity, mining and transport accounting for some 11 per cent of Australian gross domestic product (GDP). The Energy Futures Forum (EFF) was conceived as a participatory process bringing together energy sector stakeholders to determine plausible scenarios and their implications for the future of Australia's energy sector. In Australia, climate change is bringing society face to face with issues that go right to the heart of the Australian economy. Late action on climate change and greenhouse gas mitigation is considered very plausible. The ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions clearly dominated as the preferred attribute of energy technologies, followed by other environmental impacts and reliability and sustainability of energy supply.
