The new paradigm for energy

摘要

At any period in history, according to Thomas Kuhn, there is a ruling paradigm within the constraints of which most thinking takes place. When its effectiveness diminishes and it begins to break down, a paradigm shift takes place and a new paradigm comes into being. What follows is a brief account of the paradigm shift that is taking place with regard to energy, and of the perhaps unique international collaboration involving Jose Goldemberg (Brazil), Thomas Johansson (Sweden), Amulya Reddy (India) and Robert Williams (USA) whose contribution to the new energy paradigm was recognized by the award of the Volvo Environment Prize 2000. The collaborators (popularly known in energy circles as the 'Gang of Four') came together through visits to Sao Paulo and Princeton. Though they were four individuals from four countries in four continents, they discovered a great deal of like-mindedness. They had mutual respect. They also had humility in the sense that each one knew that he did not know it all and that, in order to develop greater understanding, he had to listen to the others and learn from what he heard. They worked with an equality that was quite unlike most North-South collaborations, in which Northerners are more equal than the Southerners. Their chemistry worked. They have sustained their interaction for over 20 years. Even without an institutional umbrella, they created a 'virtual institution' long before modern information technology with its faxes, emails, etc.