Juha Panula-Ontto

Relationships of the dimensions of sustainability as measured by the sustainable society index framework

This article presents a study of the interrelationships between the different dimensions of sustainability as measured by the sustainable society index framework. We examine the statistical relationships between the four indices making up the sustainable society index framework. The analysis uses the complete existing data set provided by Sustainable Society Foundation for the years 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012 and for 151 countries. While the time period where data are available is quite short, we can make some preliminary observations about the apparent trends in the interrelationships of the different dimensions of sustainability. This study shows that the three dimensions of sustainability are far from all being synergic and positively correlated. There is a strong negative correlation between human well-being and environmental well-being. This is problematic from the point of view of the Brundtland Commission’s three-pillar definition of sustainability. However, the trade-off relationship between economic and environmental development measured by the economic well-being index and environmental well-being index is decreasing and the dimensions are becoming more de-linked. This trend is promising from the sustainability perspective.

Energy Dependence and Potential for Renewables: Analysis of Future Trends and Potential for Renewable Energy Development in Cambodia and Laos

The chapter analyzes the past trends in energy production and consumption in Cambodia and Laos, and constructs their energy scenarios for future. It aims to predict and analyze the energy supply and demand in these countries and tries to assess their dependence on foreign countries for energy and examines the sources of domestic renewable energy sources and compares the data with future energy that can be generated using these resources. The future scenarios were developed with two different planning models: long-range energy alternative planning (LEAP) and long-range integrated development analysis (LINDA) to assess the present and future energy supply/demand. The LEAP model utilizes mainly the household data collected by our research team. The model analyzes the impact of different technological changes at household level with bottom-up approach, while the LINDA model is based on macro level changes in all sectors. Decomposition analysis analyzes the drivers of energy consumption. The chapter analyzes the biomass energy potential of agricultural wastes (especially rice husk and rice straw) in Cambodia and Laos with the existing technologies to evaluate the possibilities of reducing dependence on imported energy.