Author(s)

D. Verdesca

Abstract

Economic growth and "modern way of life" energy needs: Italian case preliminary analysis D. Verdesca Department of Economics, Siena University, Italy Abstract To analyse linkage between economic growth and energy consumption economists use energy intensity indicators; they measure the energy needed to support economic activity or to provide social needs. Interdisciplinary research has demonstrated that these indicators aren't adequate to implement policies for reducing environmental pressures associated with energy consumption, maintaining economic development and citizens prosperity. It's necessary to interrelate economic growth with specific elements of the society transition to "modern way of life" and the energy need to ensure it; this need was highlighted by international institutions. For this reason scientific research has adopted the decoupling approach; it refers to environmental pressure relative growth rates and economically relevant variables to which it is causally linked. In this

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