10 Serious Games in Sustainable Land Management
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persist over a longer period of time? How would political decision-makers respond
when areas such as transport, traffic and housing come under clear pressure from
long-term rising oil prices? What effects might that have on land use?
Even in the 21st century, fossil energy is what keeps our society running in its
current form. Germany imports most of its required energy in the form of coal,
oil and gas from different countries (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie
(BMWI) August 2018). Being dependent on foreign energy sources leads to a dependency on the global structure of energy markets. Those energy markets are shaped
by various factors, with global political developments playing an important role. The
transport sector in Germany in particular depends on fossil energy, as more than 90%
of the fossil energy used in this sector is imported (largely petroleum) (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWI) August 2018). This means it is especially
vulnerable to price fluctuations on the global crude oil market. Besides being a very
car-dependent and car-centred society,
1 heating is commonly considered a major
factor for private households in Germany in terms of fossil energy consumption
(Deutsche Energie-Agentur GmbH (dena) September 2012).
10.3 How High Energy Prices Affect Communities
Rising energy prices also affect public budgets in Germany in multidimensional
ways. This include immediate versus delayed effects, as well as direct and indirect
effects.
As for the present trends, oil prices dropped remarkably quickly, and reached the
level of 2003 (less than USD 30 per barrel) in January 2016 (International Energy
Agency (IEA) 2016). Both upward and downward movements have fed discussions
on the wide range of impacts that energy prices may have on economic activities
and social life in general. One of the areas of concern is the resilience of spatial
configurations of cities and regions to the effects of high energy prices. Newman and
Kenworthy Jr. (1989) for example, were among the first to make a large-scale analysis
of the reasons for the statistical connection between higher levels of fuel consumption per capita and lower population densities in urban areas of three continents.
Their findings suggested a range of policy strategies for lowering the dependency on
fossil fuels, e.g. by increasing urban density, enhancing the attractiveness of centres,
and providing attractive public transport options as an alternative to travelling by
car (Newman and Kenworthy Jr., 1989). Larson and Yezer (2015) used models to
simulate the effects of energy on land consumption. A major policy concern has
therefore been to make sustainable urban and regional development less vulnerable
to energy price variations.
1 More than 92% of all households with two or more persons have access to at least one car (Frondel
et al. 2015); the car density in Germany as of January 2017 was as high as 684 motor vehicles per
1000 inhabitants (Kraftfahrtbundesamt 2017).
187
persist over a longer period of time? How would political decision-makers respond
when areas such as transport, traffic and housing come under clear pressure from
long-term rising oil prices? What effects might that have on land use?
Even in the 21st century, fossil energy is what keeps our society running in its
current form. Germany imports most of its required energy in the form of coal,
oil and gas from different countries (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie
(BMWI) August 2018). Being dependent on foreign energy sources leads to a dependency on the global structure of energy markets. Those energy markets are shaped
by various factors, with global political developments playing an important role. The
transport sector in Germany in particular depends on fossil energy, as more than 90%
of the fossil energy used in this sector is imported (largely petroleum) (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWI) August 2018). This means it is especially
vulnerable to price fluctuations on the global crude oil market. Besides being a very
car-dependent and car-centred society,
1 heating is commonly considered a major
factor for private households in Germany in terms of fossil energy consumption
(Deutsche Energie-Agentur GmbH (dena) September 2012).
10.3 How High Energy Prices Affect Communities
Rising energy prices also affect public budgets in Germany in multidimensional
ways. This include immediate versus delayed effects, as well as direct and indirect
effects.
As for the present trends, oil prices dropped remarkably quickly, and reached the
level of 2003 (less than USD 30 per barrel) in January 2016 (International Energy
Agency (IEA) 2016). Both upward and downward movements have fed discussions
on the wide range of impacts that energy prices may have on economic activities
and social life in general. One of the areas of concern is the resilience of spatial
configurations of cities and regions to the effects of high energy prices. Newman and
Kenworthy Jr. (1989) for example, were among the first to make a large-scale analysis
of the reasons for the statistical connection between higher levels of fuel consumption per capita and lower population densities in urban areas of three continents.
Their findings suggested a range of policy strategies for lowering the dependency on
fossil fuels, e.g. by increasing urban density, enhancing the attractiveness of centres,
and providing attractive public transport options as an alternative to travelling by
car (Newman and Kenworthy Jr., 1989). Larson and Yezer (2015) used models to
simulate the effects of energy on land consumption. A major policy concern has
therefore been to make sustainable urban and regional development less vulnerable
to energy price variations.
1 More than 92% of all households with two or more persons have access to at least one car (Frondel
et al. 2015); the car density in Germany as of January 2017 was as high as 684 motor vehicles per
1000 inhabitants (Kraftfahrtbundesamt 2017).