Third-World Energy Strategies and the Role of the Developed Nations
| Published date | 01 October 1979 |
| Date | 01 October 1979 |
| Author | R.S. Scorer |
| DOI | 10.1177/004711787900600405 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
678
THIRD-WORLD
ENERGY
STRATEGIES
AND
THE
ROLE
OF
THE
DEVELOPED
NATIONS
R.
S.
SCORER
ACCORDING
to
the
ethos
of
our
age
science
and
technology
are
resolving
age-long
problems
in
new
ways,
so
much
so
that
all
problems
are
regarded
as
essentially
technological.
Indeed,
matters
of
policy
are
becoming
regarded
as
technological
issues
too :
thus
we
do
not
state
our
purposes
first
and
then
set
about
finding
how
to
attain
them;
but
we
make
predictions,
on
what
is
thought
to
be
an
objective
and
scientific
basis,
and
then
seek
the
most
com-
fortable
way
of
entering
this
inevitable
future!
What
could
be
more
straightforward,
therefore,
than
determining
the
future
needs
of
the
developing
countries
and
then
setting
about
realising
them
by
the
best
means
available,
namely
by
the
use
of
the
technology
of
the
advanced
nations?
The
chairman
at
this
conference
made
a
valient
attempt
to
extract
from
the
representatives
of
the
Third
World
a
statement
of
their
technoligical
needs;
for
without
such
a
statement
how
could
the
rich
nations,
amongst
whom
there
was
an
immense
store
of
goodwill,
work
out
the
best
way
to
help
them
in
what
was
recognised
as
a
global
energy
crisis?
Although
there
were
many
representatives
of
energy
and
other
industries
present
who
said
their
piece,
it
was
clear
that
the
predicament
cannot
be
re-
presented
as
a
technological
one.
To
put
it
simply,
the
developing
countries
do
not
want
to
be
&dquo;helped&dquo;,
and
the
rich
countries
only
want
to
&dquo;help&dquo;
by
means
which
cost
them
next
to
nothing.
First
of
all
it
had
to
be
made
clear
to
the
rich
that
a
great
proportion
of
their
riches
had
been
obtained
from
the
poor,
and
that
the
rich
had
benefited
more
than
the
poor
from
the
develop-
ment
of
the
poor’s
resources.
This
was
because
the
rich,
having
largely
exhausted
their
own,
sought
to
continue
their
extravagant
practices
using
other
people’s
raw
materials.
This
economic
colonisation
was
greatly
resented,
especially
when
it
was
called
&dquo;help&dquo;,
and
it
became
apparent
that
the
rich
still
thought
that
since
their
technology
was
the
most
advanced,
and
they
knew
how
best
to
employ
it,
the
total
amount
of
wealth
produced
was
maxi-
mised
if
they
were
in
charge
of
the
operation.
Those
representatives
of
the
rich
who
thought
this
way
seemed
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