Page 4 - DIVA_1_2007_No.28

Editorial
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"Did you know that 2007 will mark the thirty-fifth anniversary of the 1972-73 oil cri-
sis?" Although I was quite young at the time, I still have some vague memories of
those days: petrol rationing, car-free Sundays, people walking and cycling to work,
etc. Perhaps my generation did not feel the impact directly, but surely our parents and
grandparents did! A dramatic oil price increase led to one of the worst recessions that
Europe had known since the 1930s. According to an economist friend, many of the
problems we are facing in European societies today are also ramifications of this
event that happened almost thirty-five years ago.

Not long ago an electricity black-out laid parts of France and Germany in the dark
for a couple of hours, clearly showing us how fragile our modem society has
become. A colleague said: "If terrorists really wanted to hurt us, all they need do is
attack the power plants and the whole of modem society would come to a standstill!" My friend said that everyone knows
this but it is heresy to say it!

However, the energy crisis in the 1970s also led to greater interest in energy efficiency in Europe (but not so much on the
other side of the Atlantic). This concerned especially renewable fuels and spurred research on solar and wind power. It also
led to greater pressure to exploit other sources of oil, such as those in the North Sea, while increasing the West's dependen-
ce on coal, nuclear power and natural gas. Natural gas was now employed as a source of energy; before this time it was
often flared into the atmosphere. Nevertheless, none of this will be able to replace oil unless more research is undertaken
in this field, said experts in a UN seminar on Sustainable Energy in December 2006.

Energy security is among the central political themes in many countries, a diplomat friend told me. It was not until I atten-
ded the seminar that I realized how much these questions are of vital importance for all of us.

The liberalization and privatization of the electricity market has led to a reduction in the price of electricity. However, since
the electrical transmission system has remained regulated by governments, little investment has been made in this sector.
The utility companies are motivated by profit and there is little money to be made by investing in the transmission system.
In fact, investments have decreased to such an extent that technical incidents faced by Europeans could become more fre-
quent. So what we might have thought was supposed to be a good thing for society as a whole, turned out to be quite nega-
tive in the long run. Should the transmission system remain in the government's hands?

Many energy suppliers have gained tremendous political power. "In a couple of years, Europe will have to compete to get
our natural gas," one representative from a large gas company said. "Due to the pressures of the LNG (liquefied natural gas)
market, we can sell our energy anywhere and with increasing demand, there is no problem so sell it to others than the
Europeans. So, unless we know where we are heading in terms of property laws, rules and regulations in the EU, etc., we
are not going to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in new pipelines and other infrastructures." The message was clear
and to the point

So what can we do? We can reduce our individual energy consumption or "footprint" (reduce the heating in our houses,
wear warmer clothes, use the microwave more for cooking, walk, ride a bike or use public transport more often, etc.). We
can also hope that we as consumers will become more aware of the situation, and encourage our scientists and politicians
to make the right choices for all of us so that we can avoid problems in the future. In French they say: Un homme avisé en
vaut deux ... [A man alerted is worth two].

With these gloomy thoughts, I wish you all a lovely day.
Marit
The views expressed are the responsibility Editor: Macit Fosse Subscribe to DIVA
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