Heat, light, industrial production, transport - every government, in its energy policy, has to balance the competing claims of economic benefit, public opinion, and environmental impact. In this book, leading representatives of the various types of energy generation - coal and oil, gas, nuclear power, and alternative technologies - set out the pros and cons of these energy sources and discuss their environmental consequences. Chapters deal with special problems
faced by the countries of the developing world, by the new democracies in Central and Eastern Europe, and by the republics of the former Soviet Union. Readers will be able to form a balanced judgement on the direction which energy policies could or should take in order to maximize economic efficiency
while minimizing the greenhouse effect, acid rain, and atmospheric pollution.

This volume derives from public lectures organized by Linacre College within the University of Oxford.