At the same time economists around the world debate the opportunity to continue to have prosperity without growth, as in the present report from a project financed by the British Government.

http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/file_download.php?target=/publications/downloads/prosperity_without_growth_report.pdf

May I ask how these economists hope to change the global economy on a large scale without presenting an idea that describes how this dramatic change is going to come about? Which steps do politicians, legislators, national banks, companies etc need to take in order to transform the present economy to one where we can have prosperity without growth? It is one thing to present an idea, another to present viable way to achieve the change that is suggested in a report.

Regardless of which large scale change ideas we as experts put forward, we need to supply them together with a viable way to achieve the suggested change. “Global Energy Transformation” puts forward a method and plan for the large scale transformation of energy systems to a reduced dependence on fossil fuels. This is complicated enough. Transforming the whole economy is one step more complex, and doing without a method or even an idea I would say is impossible.

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When digital calculators started to grow, Facit went steeply down-hill and went bankrupt. It was clearly a failure of the management of Facit. It did not manage to interpret data that it did have access to. A similar failure was made by the Swiss watch industry, that also failed to interpret the implications of digital watch technology. As a consequence their market share in the global watch market fell from 80 to 20 per cent.

Let’s now assume that governments have a total responsibility for the well-being of their countries, and not only to fulfill the promises of the last election campaign.

In Sweden the Government is working with yesterday’s economic and financial issues. While the challenge of the future will be to run the global economy, and the economies of every country that wants to maintain and develop the affluence of its population, on a declining oil supply, the Minister of Finance of the Swedish government is spending every effort balancing the budget. This is clearly a challenge that most governments fail to accomplish, but having a balanced budget will not help countries that have not prepared for the effects of the decline in oil supply that will follow Peak Oil. The market will not solve the problems that will be created when oil supplies start to substantially decline, but the financial markets will react unfavorably to the information that neither governments, nor companies, have been preparing for the event.

So, it is fair to say that the governments of the world are repeating the mistakes of Facit, on a big scale. They fail to interpret information that they have at their disposal. Perhaps this is because the energy debate has been going on for a long time, and most people, including government ministers, managers of central banks, CEOs of global companies, fail to identify the critical novel aspect of Peak Oil. Unlike pollution and global warming it is possible, to roughly calculate the timeline, and the consequences of a declining oil supply, and also assess the probability that different countries and companies will suffer from the consequences. This has never been possible for the consequences of global warming. Because of this, when the financial markets start calculating, governments will wish they had already done it, and started to prepare. They will then realize that balancing the budget in order to have one of the best managed economies in the world will help a little, but not very much.

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Yes, by now we know about the problems and we know a number of potential solutions. The status of twelve different renewable energy technologies are described in the following article from COP 15.

http://en.cop-15.org/news/view+news?newsid=1590

Yes, there are obviously at least 12 renewable energy technologies that we may use in order to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

The article correctly argues that there are two main concerns that create a need for energy systems transformation – energy supply issues and climate change, but does it say anything about the time frame, the need to prioritize the most promising technologies, or the need to manage resources in such a way that we get the most bang for the buck? Does it say anything about the need to organize and manage a transformation program, or, if the author does not believe that this is the solution, does it explain how the market or some other “force” will be able to develop a solution for us? No!

There are two different ways that a large scale program may come about:

1. The insight that we need to run a rapid and cost effective change program will gradually drive a process of self-organization in society, in which decision makers gradually align structures toward the goal of energy systems transformation, complementing the current focuses on cost effectiveness and time.
2. A number of high level decision makers may take rapid initiatives towards large scale initiatives in Global Energy Transformatin programs. Such programs need to involve analysis of the options, strategy development, planning and managed change.

At present we have too little knowledge in the way of analysis of options, strategies for the transformation, planning of activities and managed change. We have no structures for this, and most organizations in business and the public sector are geared towards the promotion of cost effectiveness and time compression through traditional means.

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December 13, 2009 CONTACT: M.J. Szimanski
Washington, DC
202.560.7516
mike@buzzbinder.com

Mats R. Larsson
Höör, Sweden
0046-733-552411
mats@getinstitute.com

Mats R. Larsson, Global Energy Transformation Institute (GETI) Founder, Releases Latest Book:

“Overcoming Overuse:
Energy Transformation for a World Gone Fad”

Washington, DC – Mats R. Larsson, President and Founder of the Global Energy Transformation Institute (GETI) in Höör, Sweden (www.getinstitute.com), announced today the publication of his latest book: “Overcoming Overuse: Energy Transformation for a World Gone Fad.”

In addition to further explaining the importance of Global Energy transformation, “Overcoming Overuse” offers a lighter and often entertaining interpretation of many of the points Larsson covered in his previous book “Global Energy Transformation: Four Necessary Steps to Make Clean Energy the Next Success Story.” The current book is intentionally briefer in length and is intended to target those interested in global transformation issues but who may find it more realistic to commit to an abridged version of the topic by this author. The book was written with Mike Szimanski and as available through the GETI website at www.GETInstitute.com or http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/overcoming-overuse-energy-transformation-for-a-world-gone-fad/7972188.
According to author Mats R. Larsson, “’Global Energy Transformation’ seems to be hitting the mark with those who understand the breadth and scope of the energy problems we’re facing, but we wanted to reach another level of audience. With “Overcoming Overuse: Energy Transformation in a World Gone Fad,” we are reaching the good-intentioned, mainstream readers who may be stuck in a rut feeling that monitoring their carbon footprints, recycling or responding correctly to “paper or plastic?” at the grocery store alone are not going to solve our energy problems.
“Global Energy Transformation: Four Necessary Steps to Make Clean Energy the Next Success Story” covers highly contemporary and controversial issues related to global energy production and consumption including Peak Oil, climate change, sustainable economic growth and possible changes to large scale energy related systems, such as transportation and industrial processes.
Among other issues, the Global Energy Transformation Institute addresses:
- Analysis of transformation and change management needs in energy related areas.
- Strategy development for society and for corporations in the face of reduced oil supply.
- Planning of transformation projects and change management activities.
- Project management and management of change efforts.
The Global Energy Transformation Institute was founded to familiarize global decision makers and other interested parties on a comprehensive vision of the situation, proposed solutions and to initiate a dialogue and to support the necessary preparations for large-scale transformation of energy systems to renewable fuels and reduced demand and in the implementation of strategies and plans to this effect. GETI endeavors to work with the development of strategies for energy systems transformation on a corporate, national and transnational scale.
Mats R. Larsson and the Global Energy Transformation Institute are available for public speaking presentations and similar project support worldwide.
For further information, go to www.GETInstitute.com.
# # #
http://www.briefingwire.com/pr/mats-r.-larsson-global-energy-transformation-institute-geti-founder-releases-latest-book

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/opinion/07krugman.html

Yes, this is true. However, a program to improve the insulation of houses in any country needs to involve large scale project management, in order to communicate the contents of the program, administrate information activities and other incentives. Without subsidies, the amount of information and persuasion needs to be higher than in the opposite case.

Regardless of the large scale energy transformation activities that we go for, costly, or more affordable, a program needs to be run as a managed transformation program, the subject of the book “Global Energy Transformation”.

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