Carbon Civilisation And The Energy Descent Future
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Carbon Civilisation And The Energy Descent Future
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Author : Samuel Alexander
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2018-09-12
Carbon Civilisation And The Energy Descent Future written by Samuel Alexander and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2018-09-12 with categories.
Carbon civilisation is powered predominately by finite fossil fuels and with each passing day it becomes harder to increase or even maintain current supply. Our one-off fossil energy inheritance is but a brief anomaly in the evolution of the human story, a momentary energy spike from the perspective of deep time. Today humanity faces the dual crises of fossil fuel depletion and climate change, both of which are consequences of the modern world's fundamental reliance on the energy abundance provided by fossil energy sources. Can renewable energy replace the fossil energy foundations of carbon civilisation? This book examines these issues and presents a narrative linking energy and society that maintains we should be preparing for renewable futures neither of energy abundance nor scarcity, but rather energy sufficiency. For industrial societies, this means navigating energy descent futures.
Rise And Fall Of The Carbon Civilisation
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Author : Patrick Moriarty
language : en
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Release Date : 2010-10-27
Rise And Fall Of The Carbon Civilisation written by Patrick Moriarty and has been published by Springer Science & Business Media this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2010-10-27 with Technology & Engineering categories.
A vast amount has been written on climate change and what should be our response. Rise and Fall of the Carbon Civilisation suggests that most of this literature takes a far too optimistic position regarding the potential for conventional mitigation solutions to achieve the deep cuts in greenhouse gases necessary in the limited time frame we have available. In addition, global environmental problems, as exemplified by climate change, and global resource problems – such as fossil fuel depletion or fresh water scarcity – have largely been seen as separate issues. Further, proposals for solution of these problems often focus at the national level, when the problems are global. The authors argue that the various challenges the planet faces are both serious and interconnected. Rise and Fall of the Carbon Civilisation takes a global perspective in its treatment of various solutions: • renewable energy; • nuclear energy; • energy efficiency; • carbon sequestration; and • geo-engineering. It also addresses the possibility that realistic solutions cannot be achieved until the fundamentally ethical question of global equity – both across nations today and also inter-generational – is fully addressed. Such an approach will also involve reorienting the global economy away from an emphasis on growth and toward the direct satisfaction of basic human needs for all the Earth’s people. Rise and Fall of the Carbon Civilisation is aimed at the many members of the public with an awareness of climate change, but who wish to find out more about how we need to respond to the challenge. It will also be of interest to technical professionals, as well as postgraduate students and researchers, from the environmental and engineering science sectors.
Powering The Future
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Author : Robert B Laughlin
language : en
Publisher: Basic Books
Release Date : 2011-09-27
Powering The Future written by Robert B Laughlin and has been published by Basic Books this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2011-09-27 with Science categories.
In Powering the Future, Nobel laureate Robert B. Laughlin transports us two centuries into the future, when we've ceased to use carbon from the ground -- either because humans have banned carbon burning or because fuel has simply run out. Boldly, Laughlin predicts no earth-shattering transformations will have taken place. Six generations from now, there will still be soccer moms, shopping malls, and business trips. Firesides will still be snug and warm. How will we do it? Not by discovering a magic bullet to slay our energy problems, but through a slew of fascinating technologies, drawing on wind, water, and fire. Powering the Future is an objective yet optimistic tour through alternative fuel sources, set in a world where we've burned every last drop of petroleum and every last shovelful of coal. The Predictable:Fossil fuels will run out. The present flow of crude oil out of the ground equals in one day the average flow of the Mississippi River past New Orleans in thirteen minutes. If you add the energy equivalents of gas and coal, it's thirty-six minutes. At the present rate of consumption, we'll be out of fossil fuels in two centuries" time. We always choose the cheapest gas. From the nineteenth-century consolidation of the oil business to the California energy crisis of 2000-2001, the energy business has shown, time and again, how low prices dominate market share. Market forces -- not green technology -- will be the driver of energy innovation in the next 200 years.The laws of physics remain fixed. Energy will still be conserved, degrade entropically with use, and have to be disposed of as waste heat into outer space. How much energy a fuel can pack away in a given space is fixed by quantum mechanics -- and if we want to keep flying jet planes, we will need carbon-based fuels.The Potential:Animal waste.If dried and burned, the world's agricultural manure would supply about one-third as much energy as all the coal we presently consume.Trash. The United States disposes of 88 million tons of carbon in its trash per year. While the incineration of waste trash is not enough to contribute meaningfully to the global demand for energy, it will constrain fuel prices by providing a cheap supply of carbon.Solar energy.The power used to light all the cities around the world is only one-millionth of the total power of sunlight pouring down on earth's daytime side. And the amount of hydropump storage required to store the world’s daily electrical surge is equal to only eight times the volume of Lake Mead.
This Civilisation Is Finished
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Author : Rupert Read
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2019-03-31
This Civilisation Is Finished written by Rupert Read and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2019-03-31 with History categories.
Industrial civilisation has no future. It requires limitless economic growth on a finite planet. The reckless combustion of fossil fuels means that Earth's climate is changing disastrously, in ways that cannot be resolved by piecemeal reform or technological innovation. Sooner rather than later this global capitalist system will come to an end, destroyed by its own ecological contradictions. Unless humanity does something beautiful and unprecedented, the ending of industrial civilisation will take the form of collapse, which could mean a harrowing die-off of billions of people. This book is for those ready to accept the full gravity of the human predicament - and to consider what in the world is to be done. How can humanity mindfully navigate the inevitable descent ahead? Two critical thinkers here remove the rose-tinted glasses of much social and environmental commentary. With unremitting realism and yet defiant positivity, they engage each other in uncomfortable conversations about the end of Empire and what lies beyond.
The Future Is Not What It Used To Be
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Author : Jorg Friedrichs
language : en
Publisher: MIT Press
Release Date : 2013-08-16
The Future Is Not What It Used To Be written by Jorg Friedrichs and has been published by MIT Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2013-08-16 with Political Science categories.
A hard look at the twin challenges of climate change and energy scarcity that examines historical precedents and allows no room for complacency. The future is not what it used to be because we can no longer rely on the comforting assumption that it will resemble the past. Past abundance of fuel, for example, does not imply unending abundance. Infinite growth on a finite planet is not possible. In this book, Jörg Friedrichs argues that industrial society itself is transitory, and he examines the prospects for our civilization's coming to terms with its two most imminent choke points: climate change and energy scarcity. He offers a thorough and accessible account of these two challenges as well as the linkages between them. Friedrichs contends that industrial civilization cannot outlast our ability to burn fossil fuels and that the demise of industrial society would entail cataclysmic change, including population decreases. To understand the social and political implications, he examines historical cases of climate stress and energy scarcity: devastating droughts in the ancient Near East; the Little Ice Age in the medieval Far North; the Japanese struggle to prevent “fuel starvation” from 1918 to 1945; the “totalitarian retrenchment” of the North Korean governing class after the end of Soviet oil deliveries; and Cuba's socioeconomic adaptation to fuel scarcity in the 1990s. He draws important lessons about the likely effects of climate and energy disruptions on different kinds of societies. The warnings of climate scientists are met by denial and inaction, while energy experts offer little guidance on the effects of future scarcity. Friedrichs suggests that to confront our predicament we must affirm our core values and take action to transform our way of life. Whether we are private citizens or public officials, complacency is not an option: climate change and energy scarcity are emerging facts of life.
Societies Beyond Oil
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Author : John Urry
language : en
Publisher: Zed Books Ltd.
Release Date : 2013-01-10
Societies Beyond Oil written by John Urry and has been published by Zed Books Ltd. this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2013-01-10 with Nature categories.
What would a de-carbonised society be like? What are the implications of a general de-globalisation for our social futures? How will our high-carbon patterns of life be restructured in a de-energized world? As global society gradually wakes up to the new reality of peak oil, these questions remain unanswered. For the last hundred years oil made the world go round, and as we move into the century of 'tough oil' this book examines some profound consequences. It considers what societies would be like that are powering down; what lessons can be learned from the past about de-energized societies; will there be rationing systems or just the market to allocate scarce energy? Can virtual worlds solve energy problems? What levels of income and wellbeing would be likely? In this groundbreaking book, John Urry analyzes how the twentieth century created a kind of mirage of the future that is unsustainable into even the medium term and envisions the future of an oil-dependent world facing energy descent. Without a large-scale plan B, how can the energizing of society possibly be going into reverse?
The Future Of Energy
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Author : Brian F. Towler
language : en
Publisher: Academic Press
Release Date : 2014-05-31
The Future Of Energy written by Brian F. Towler and has been published by Academic Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2014-05-31 with Business & Economics categories.
Using the principle that extracting energy from the environment always involves some type of impact on the environment, The Future of Energy discusses the sources, technologies, and tradeoffs involved in meeting the world's energy needs. A historical, scientific, and technical background set the stage for discussions on a wide range of energy sources, including conventional fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal, as well as emerging renewable sources like solar, wind, geothermal, and biofuels. Readers will learn that there are no truly "green" energy sources—all energy usage involves some tradeoffs—and will understand these tradeoffs and other issues involved in using each energy source. Each potential energy source includes discussions of tradeoffs in economics, environmental, and policy implications Examples and cases of implementing each technology are included throughout the book Technical discussions are supported with equations, graphs, and tables Includes discussions of carbon capture and sequestration as emerging technologies to manage carbon dioxide emissions
Future Energy
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Author : Trevor M. Letcher
language : en
Publisher: Elsevier
Release Date : 2013-11-12
Future Energy written by Trevor M. Letcher and has been published by Elsevier this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2013-11-12 with Technology & Engineering categories.
As the demand for global energy increases, fact-based evaluations of alternative energy sources are needed in order to address the growing interest in how energy is produced, provided, and transported in sustainable ways. Future Energy, Second Edition provides scientists and decision makers with the knowledge they need to understand the relative importance and magnitude of various energy production methods in order to make the energy decisions needed for sustaining development and dealing with climate change. The second edition of Future Energy looks at the present energy situation and extrapolates to future scenarios related to global warming and the increase of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This thoroughly revised and updated edition contains over 30 chapters on all aspects of future energy, each chapter updated and expanded by expert scientists and engineers in their respective fields providing an unbiased and balanced view of the future of energy. Provides readers with an up-to-date overview of available energy options, both traditional and renewable, as well as the necessary tools to make informed decisions regarding selection, use, and environmental impacts. Covers a wide spectrum of future energy resources presented in a single book with chapters written by experts of the particular field Eleven new chapters including chapters on: solar heating, energy resources in developing nations and frontiers in oil and gas, Arctic drilling and unconventional oil and gas sources, thorium in nuclear fission, ethanol and other options for future transport fuel, fracking, smart grids, new batteries, environmental issues and the energy options for China
Future Scenarios
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Author : David Holmgren
language : en
Publisher: Green
Release Date : 2009
Future Scenarios written by David Holmgren and has been published by Green this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2009 with Climatic changes categories.
Human civilisation today faces two unprecedented challenges: the threat of climate change and the peaking of global oil supply. Energy supply has been one of the strongest factors in determining human history, and there are strong signs that we are now in the early stages of an energy transition that will shake our economy to its core. At the same time, the accelerating evidence of climate change has made this environmental crisis a top international priority. Rarely are these two issues considered in combination, but each affects the way we can respond to the other. The possibilities for our future range from ‘techno-explosion’ to civilisation collapse – but another possibility is energy descent, where available energy and organisational complexity progressively decline. Many sustainability strategists believe that energy descent may be inevitable. There is a desperate need to recast energy descent as a positive process that can free people from the dysfunctions of growth economics. Future Scenarios uses a planning model incorporating the spectrums of climate change and peak oil to generate four ‘energy descent’ scenarios – ‘brown tech’, ‘green tech’, ‘lifeboats’ and ‘Earth steward’ – representing various future pathways. It uses the principles of permaculture – a design system founded on reduced resource availability – to show how we can deal with energy descent in the most graceful way possible.
Global Energy Futures And The Carbon Dioxide Problem
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Author :
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 1981
Global Energy Futures And The Carbon Dioxide Problem written by and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 1981 with Atmospheric carbon dioxide categories.