Senate Testimony: How Innovative Technologies, Business Strategies, and Policies can Dramatically Enhance Energy Security and Prosperity

In this invited testimony to the US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (SD-366, 0930-1130), Amory Lovins explained how innovation in business strategies, technologies, and policies can lead to energy independence, energy security, and prosperity. Lovins argued that the surest path to an energy policy that enhances security and prosperity is free-market economics: letting all ways to save or produce energy compete fairly, at honest prices, no matter which kind they are, what technology they use, where they are, how big they are, or who owns them. That would make the energy security, oil, climate, and most proliferation problems fade away, and would make our economy and democracy far stronger.

Gas Pains

In this letter to The Atlantic Monthly in response to an article by Robert Bryce, Amory Lovins discusses the American military's fuel costs during the Iraq War between 2003 and 2005. Lovins argues that a solution to the high cost of fuel for military operations is highly energy efficient military vehicles. He points out that the military could cost-effectively save two thirds of their fuel directly, plus more fuel to deliver platforms and fuel. Such fuel efficiency would save many lives, billions of dollars a year in fuel cost, and perhaps ten times that in logistics cost, while making war-fighting more capable and ultimately less necessary. This document also includes a response from Robert Bryce, as well as an exchange between him and Capt. David J. Morris (USMC).

Some Missing Elements of Sustainable Development

In this lecture given at Stanford University, Amory Lovins presents his theories on sustainable development. He argues that the efficient use of energy is a fundamental driver of sustainable development because it is part of the proper allocation of financial capital on the scale of the macroeconomy. Lovins provides several examples of the ways in which companies have created energy efficient, money saving products. He also provides case studies of solutions to development challenges. Some of these solutions include plugging needless leaks of money out of the local and national economy; substituting efficient use and local resources in order to help businesses survive downturns; helping local businesses to modernize, diversify, and expand before seeking new ones; and nurturing local startups that will meet local goals; recruit outside businesses in a smart way that advances the community’s goals and yields net benefits, not just gross benefits.

How to Get Real Security

This article, adapted from a previous piece and published in the Whole Earth Review, describes strategies for establishing effective security. It offers political, economic, and environmental strategies for ensuring worldwide security. The author provides a formula for security that addresses the root causes of terrorism, support sustainable societies, achieve energy independence with existing technology, develop non-provocative defense, make other nations feel more secure, and save money for urgent social causes. He argues that any global security strategy must consider multiple components: political, diplomatic, informational, humanitarian, economic, and military.

Military Transformation and the Roots of National Security

This article, published in the wake of the September 11 attacks, responds to the United States government's actions and offers strategies for security. The article describes what security is, where it comes from, and who is responsible for it. The author describes how to make a society like the United States free from fear of privation and of fear from attack. The strategies rely on the efficient and fair use of resources in order to avoid and resolve conflict. Preventing the fear of attack and ensuring security can be guaranteed by the security triad of conflict avoidance and prevention, conflict resolution, and non-provocative defense. Using these strategies, nations can ensure domestic and international security.

Battling Fuel Waste in the Military

This article, published in RMISolutions, describes the efforts by RMI and Amory Lovins to work with the American military to combat energy waste. The potential energy savings available to the military are detailed. The article includes a section called, "All Energy Experts on Deck," in which Lovins compares the design of navy ships to that of civilian buildings. He analyzes the design flaws that make navy ships less energy efficient.

Why Nuclear Power's Failure in the Marketplace is Irreversible

In this presentation to the Nuclear Control Institute, Amory Lovins describes the various competitors that are besting nuclear power for dominance of the energy market. This presentation focuses on energy end use efficiency as an especially powerful counter option. Statistics on monetary and energy savings through end use efficiency measures are provided. The presentation shows that nuclear energy is not an economically prudent energy choice and that better options exist.

Security Without War: A Post Cold War Foreign Policy

This book lays out security principles and policies for the United States to adopt in a post-Cold War world. The authors encourage Americans to take account of all threats, to emphasize preventing conflicts over winning wars and to enhance every nation's security, to favor multilateral approaches over bilateral ones and to promote greater citizen participation in foreign policy. The entire book is available here. The book considers how to define security, the limits of force, the limits of arms races, how to prevent and resolve conflicts, the roots of conflict, and strategies for the military defense of aggression.