La metodologia input-output per la valutazione della sostenibilità della produzione di energia

The question of energy has recently become a topic of interest. The demand for energy is constantly on the rise, along with related environmental problems. Simply increasing the supply of energy cannot be the solution to the problem. Reliable energy policies have a fundamental role to play in meeting the growing demand. It is crucial to realize when an increase in energy production is truly indispensable. While in industrialized countries there is an urgent need for policies aimed at reducing the demand, in developing countries it is important to draw up energy policies which can deal with the requisite rise in production in the best way possible. When dealing with the demand for energy, it is important to adopt the kinds of procedures and technology which guarantee environmental, economic and social sustainability by exploiting a variable mix of renewable and non-renewable sources. In drawing up energy policies, it is best to evaluate sustainability in advance. The precautionary principle should be adopted. This paper considers economic input-output methodology, created by Leontief for economic analysis. The note examines the methodology, to see if it could be used to evaluate the sustainability of energy production.