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Energy: Supply, Demand, and Impacts 259Figure 12.8 Projected generation and transmission flow in 2050. The map shows projectedaverage generation and average transmission flow between load areas (electricity demand zones)under high regulation of green-house gas emissions. The size of each pie represents the amount ofgeneration in the load area in which the pie resides. The flows of electricity are depicted as straightlines for clarity. Reproduced from Wei et al. (2012).Climate impacts on primary energy productionAs noted above, the Southwest accounts for 12.7% of our nation’s primary energy production.Climate change has the potential to influence this production in at least threeways. First, energy policies aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change couldsignificantly alter the mix of primary fuels used to generate electricity and fuel transportation(see above), thus influencing the demand for the primary fuels. Specifically, emissionstandards could cause a move to renewables and away from coal and petroleum.However, demand for natural gas and uranium would likely increase, potentially offsettinglosses in coal production. Potential losses of petroleum production will be moredifficult to offset as water availability will challenge biofuel production in the Southwest(DOE 2011). Because these primary energy sources are traded internationally, emission