The energy crisis: A process of social definition

The concept of an energy crisis is seen to have emerged out of a social process and is a metaphor linked to a sequence of events. A property of the metaphor is to emphasize certain aspects and obscure other aspects of the sequence of events to which it refers. When compared to the historical events, this metaphor has obscured the role of government and the oil industry in the development of policies of high petroleum consumption and dependency on imports while emphasis has been placed on the role of the consumer. The success of the metaphor can be seen both in the usage of the metaphor in political debates and the unwillingness of people to question the reality of the crisis or to consider changes in the institutions of energy. Explanations of a new awareness of the depletion of non-renewable resources do not adequately explain the success of the metaphor. The success of the metaphor may have some positive value but a number of negative effects are also occurring.