“Dematerialization in the European Union energy system”

Abstract Since the first oil crisis energy consumptions statistics, provided by official sources, have been increasing all over the world. They cause concerns for the safety of fossil fuel supply, that our society uses mainly. Also the increasing of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere, responsible for greenhouse effect, is the issue of a careful international policy, with the aim to take back them to the 1990s values, as the Kyoto agreements established. In order to face the above-mentioned problems, it is therefore necessary to carry out a series of effective corrective interventions, such as improvement of energy efficiency (through the application of new technologies already well-known and tested), increase in use of methane and electric energy and, later on, introduction of biomass, hydrogen, etc. The above examined preliminary remarks involve most world countries, particularly the developing countries. However, also others countries, that do not dispose their own energy sources, are strongly stimulated to identify and carry out several strategies, in order to obtain safety in energy supply, meanwhile protecting air quality. Since the beginning of the 1990s, decarbonisation has been an important aim to be achieved: it is the result of technological progress and social development and a pervasive phenomenon based on the decline in CO2 emissions. Decarbonisation belongs to the wider process of dematerialization, that is the decrease in raw material and energy use in a process; for this reason it is studied as an instrument of energy and environmental politics. This paper analyzes the long-term dematerialization process in energy use and CO2 emissions with regard to some EU countries, pointing out the driving forces of technological changes.