Interdependencies between policies, energy consumption, and global environmental change: a geographic perspective

The sustenance of global population is strongly based on energy consumption. Energy is used to sustain our lifestyle from heating houses to charge smart-phones and computers; therefore, energy resources depletion is proportional to the improvements of human lifestyles. Nowadays, fossil fuels usage accounts for almost 4 fifths of global energy needs. Nevertheless, fossil fuels consumption is the primary source of Co2, the main greenhouse gas, which has a huge influence on the global environmental change. The relationship between the quantity of energy used and the resultant carbon dioxide emissions has been extensively described in literature. Consequently, many policies that aim to mitigate climate change focus either on a reduction of energy consumption to satisfy human needs, or on reducing our dependency on fossil fuels. On the other hand, the quantitative and qualitative profile of human energy requirements is still a matter of debate. While environment preservation is the main focus, there is also the emerging need to ensure that fuel-poor household can access enough energy to satisfy primary necessities. This session aims to examine the interdependencies between policies, landcover and landscape planning, fuel vulnerability, and climate change at different scales