ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the case for a more concerted sustainable energy strategy. It focuses on the problems and prospects for a policy development in Scotland. The chapter deals with a brief consideration of the concept of sustainable development, its possible meaning at a national level and the general implications which follow for environmentally-oriented policy in the energy sector. It highlights the concerns which arise in relation to environmental sustainability and summarises how the present energy policy regime impacts on these concerns. The chapter describes the developing policy context of a devolved Scotland as a framework for a more sustainable energy policy, indicating the likely limitations on how far this agenda can be pursued at a Scottish level. The key energy issue is that developed economies are predominantly reliant on massive inputs of finite fossil and fissile resources. While energy is an input into all processes the exact nature of the links between energy consumption and quality of life is questionable.
