HOW POLICIES CONTROL ENERGY EFFICIENCY

摘要

Energy efficiency is more than just energy saving. The conducted analysis shows that energy efficiency is not only dependent on economic growth, but that policy measures can influence energy consumption. However, there is only a limited ability to increase energy efficiency with policy measures. The European Union is pursuing ambitious climate protection policies and requires member states to raise energy efficiency in order to also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. From a panel data with a fixed effect model for 25 countries over 10 years, it can be positively inferred that the obligations of the Kyoto Protocol exercise pressure on EU member states for prompt enactment to enhance the energy efficiency and the linked carbon emissions. This implies that climate change can be countered with a relatively cheap instrument if there is political consensus.