Societal implications of energy scarcity. Social and technological priorities in steady state and constricting systems

The results of a two day seminar that brought together academics with related research interests, representatives of business and industries which either produce or consume large quantities of energy, and representatives of interested state and regional governments are reported. The seminar participants (1) assessed the utility and appropriateness of several major sociological perspectives for predicting population responses to scarcity; (2) determined areas of social organization most likely to be impacted by continuing (or worsening) conditions of scarcity and likely forms of social reorganization or adjustment; (3) developed a programmatic research statement indicating where critical information is lacking and priorities for research, and (4) began a dialog concerning the common interests of academic social scientists, energy producing industries, and representatives of state and regional agencies likely to be influenced by social changes related to energy shortages.