Energy and American Society

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Energy and American Society: Thirteen Myths is a 2007 book, edited by Benjamin K. Sovacool (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) and Marilyn A. Brown (Georgia Institute of Technology), which reflects a growing interest in energy security and climate change. The book discusses and dispels thirteen myths which have existed in American culture concerning energy, the environment, and society:^[1]

Myth One – Today’s Energy Crisis is “Hype”

Myth Two – The Public is Well Informed About Energy

Myth Three – High Land Requirements and an Unfavorable Energy Balance Preclude Biomass Ethanol from Playing a Large Role in Providing Energy Services

Myth Four – The Hydrogen Economy is a Panacea to the Nation’s Energy Problems

Myth Five – Price Signals are Insufficient to Induce Efficient Energy Investments

Myth Six – The Barriers to New and Innovative Energy Technologies are Primarily Technical: The Case of Distributed Generation

Myth Seven – Renewable Energy Systems Could Never Meet Growing Electricity Demand in America

Myth Eight – Worldwide Power Systems are Economically and Environmentally Optimal

Myth Nine – Energy Efficiency Improvements have Already Reached their Potential

Myth Ten – Energy Efficiency Measures are Unreliable, Unpredictable, and Unenforceable

Myth Eleven – Energy R&D Investment Takes Decades to Reach the Market

Myth Twelve – Climate Policy will Bankrupt the U.S. Economy

Myth Thirteen – Developing Countries are not Doing their Part in Responding to Concerns about Climate Change

The book was produced with support from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and involved 24 contributing authors with a diverse range of backgrounds. Notable contributors include Amory Lovins and Joseph Romm.^[1]