Vaclav Smil
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195168754
- eISBN:
- 9780199783601
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195168755.003.0002
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Economic History
Our civilization is based on massive consumption of fossil fuels. This chapter begins by examining technical advances of energy industries, before turning to energy transitions and the process of ...
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Our civilization is based on massive consumption of fossil fuels. This chapter begins by examining technical advances of energy industries, before turning to energy transitions and the process of decarbonization of global energy supply. The second section deals with electricity production in general, and with nuclear generation (as well as nuclear weapons) in particular. The last section traces the invention and deployment of the only two new prime movers introduced during the 20th century: gas turbines and rocket engines.Less
Our civilization is based on massive consumption of fossil fuels. This chapter begins by examining technical advances of energy industries, before turning to energy transitions and the process of decarbonization of global energy supply. The second section deals with electricity production in general, and with nuclear generation (as well as nuclear weapons) in particular. The last section traces the invention and deployment of the only two new prime movers introduced during the 20th century: gas turbines and rocket engines.
Thomas Princen, Jack P. Manno, and Pamela L. Martin
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780262028806
- eISBN:
- 9780262327077
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262028806.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
Ending the Fossil Fuel Era means beginning a delegitimization, or reconceptualization and revalorization of fossil fuels or, to be precise, humans’ relations with fossil fuels. The authors argue for ...
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Ending the Fossil Fuel Era means beginning a delegitimization, or reconceptualization and revalorization of fossil fuels or, to be precise, humans’ relations with fossil fuels. The authors argue for a shift from fossil fuels as a constructive substance. To do this, a pragmatic, realist politics of the 21st Century toward starting to stop is needed. In this chapter, the authors outline the biophysical, cultural, ethical, and material reasons why only mitigating the impacts of carbon, rather than going to its source in the ground is denying the real issues and opportunities for this and the next centuries. They challenge readers to use a politics of imaginative realism to undertake an urgent transition.Less
Ending the Fossil Fuel Era means beginning a delegitimization, or reconceptualization and revalorization of fossil fuels or, to be precise, humans’ relations with fossil fuels. The authors argue for a shift from fossil fuels as a constructive substance. To do this, a pragmatic, realist politics of the 21st Century toward starting to stop is needed. In this chapter, the authors outline the biophysical, cultural, ethical, and material reasons why only mitigating the impacts of carbon, rather than going to its source in the ground is denying the real issues and opportunities for this and the next centuries. They challenge readers to use a politics of imaginative realism to undertake an urgent transition.
Vaclav Smil
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195168754
- eISBN:
- 9780199783601
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195168755.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Economic History
This book is a systematic interdisciplinary account of two epochal trends: the history of the 20th century’s technical transformation based on the unprecedented surge of innovation that took place in ...
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This book is a systematic interdisciplinary account of two epochal trends: the history of the 20th century’s technical transformation based on the unprecedented surge of innovation that took place in Europe and North America during the three pre-WWI generation (1867-1914); and the history of new fundamental inventions during the period 1914-2000. Mass consumption of fossil fuels provided the energetic foundation of this progress. New ways of making steel — the leading metal of our civilization — and new materials including plastics and silicon, opened entirely new technical possibilities. Rationalized production, be it in agriculture or manufacturing, benefited from advancing mechanization, automation, and robotization. New epochal inventions included the discovery of nuclear fission, followed by the rapid development of nuclear weapons and commercial generation of nuclear electricity; the discovery of gas turbines (and their use in jet airplanes as well as in stationary applications); and the invention of solid-state electronics based on semiconductors used to make transistors, integrated circuits, and microprocessors, the key components of modern computing. The new economy based on unprecedented levels of energy consumption brought not only mass consumption and higher quality of life, but also some worrisome social problems and environmental changes; its prospects remain uncertain.Less
This book is a systematic interdisciplinary account of two epochal trends: the history of the 20th century’s technical transformation based on the unprecedented surge of innovation that took place in Europe and North America during the three pre-WWI generation (1867-1914); and the history of new fundamental inventions during the period 1914-2000. Mass consumption of fossil fuels provided the energetic foundation of this progress. New ways of making steel — the leading metal of our civilization — and new materials including plastics and silicon, opened entirely new technical possibilities. Rationalized production, be it in agriculture or manufacturing, benefited from advancing mechanization, automation, and robotization. New epochal inventions included the discovery of nuclear fission, followed by the rapid development of nuclear weapons and commercial generation of nuclear electricity; the discovery of gas turbines (and their use in jet airplanes as well as in stationary applications); and the invention of solid-state electronics based on semiconductors used to make transistors, integrated circuits, and microprocessors, the key components of modern computing. The new economy based on unprecedented levels of energy consumption brought not only mass consumption and higher quality of life, but also some worrisome social problems and environmental changes; its prospects remain uncertain.
Kristin Shrader-Frechette
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199794638
- eISBN:
- 9780199919277
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199794638.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
Chapter 1 begins by stressing the severity of climate change (CC) and showing how, contrary to popular belief, atomic energy is not a viable solution to ...
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Chapter 1 begins by stressing the severity of climate change (CC) and showing how, contrary to popular belief, atomic energy is not a viable solution to CC. Many scientists and most market proponents agree that renewable energy and energy efficiencies are better options. The chapter also shows that government subsidies for oil and nuclear power are the result of flawed science, poor ethics, short-term thinking, and special-interest influence. The chapter has 7 sections, the first of which surveys four major components of the energy crisis. These are oil addiction, non-CC-related deaths from fossil-fuel pollution, nuclear-weapons proliferation, and catastrophic CC. The second section summarizes some of the powerful evidence for global CC. The third section uses historical, ahistorical, Rawlsian, and utilitarian ethical principles to show how developed nations, especially the US, are most responsible for human-caused CC. The fourth section shows why climate-change skeptics, such as “deniers” who doubt CC is real, and “delayers” who say that it should not yet be addressed, have no valid objections. Instead, they all err scientifically and ethically. The fifth section illustrates that all modern scientific methods—and scientific consensus since at least 1995—confirm the reality of global CC. Essentially all expert-scientific analyses published in refereed, scientific-professional journals confirm the reality of global CC. The sixth section of the chapter shows how fossil-fuel special interests have contributed to the continued CC debate largely by paying non-experts to deny or challenge CC. The seventh section of the chapter provides an outline of each chapter in the book, noting that this book makes use of both scientific and ethical analyses to show why nuclear proponents’ arguments err, why CC deniers are wrong, and how scientific-methodological understanding can advance sound energy policy—including conservation, renewable energy, and energy efficiencies.Less
Chapter 1 begins by stressing the severity of climate change (CC) and showing how, contrary to popular belief, atomic energy is not a viable solution to CC. Many scientists and most market proponents agree that renewable energy and energy efficiencies are better options. The chapter also shows that government subsidies for oil and nuclear power are the result of flawed science, poor ethics, short-term thinking, and special-interest influence. The chapter has 7 sections, the first of which surveys four major components of the energy crisis. These are oil addiction, non-CC-related deaths from fossil-fuel pollution, nuclear-weapons proliferation, and catastrophic CC. The second section summarizes some of the powerful evidence for global CC. The third section uses historical, ahistorical, Rawlsian, and utilitarian ethical principles to show how developed nations, especially the US, are most responsible for human-caused CC. The fourth section shows why climate-change skeptics, such as “deniers” who doubt CC is real, and “delayers” who say that it should not yet be addressed, have no valid objections. Instead, they all err scientifically and ethically. The fifth section illustrates that all modern scientific methods—and scientific consensus since at least 1995—confirm the reality of global CC. Essentially all expert-scientific analyses published in refereed, scientific-professional journals confirm the reality of global CC. The sixth section of the chapter shows how fossil-fuel special interests have contributed to the continued CC debate largely by paying non-experts to deny or challenge CC. The seventh section of the chapter provides an outline of each chapter in the book, noting that this book makes use of both scientific and ethical analyses to show why nuclear proponents’ arguments err, why CC deniers are wrong, and how scientific-methodological understanding can advance sound energy policy—including conservation, renewable energy, and energy efficiencies.
David Ciplet, J. Timmons Roberts, and Mizan R. Khan
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780262029612
- eISBN:
- 9780262330039
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262029612.003.0006
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Climate
This chapter discusses the engagement of business and environmental nonstate actors in the climate regime, how their efforts have changed over time, and insights from the literature in this area. The ...
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This chapter discusses the engagement of business and environmental nonstate actors in the climate regime, how their efforts have changed over time, and insights from the literature in this area. The goal is to understand how each of them influence humanity's response to climate change, through the UN process and back home in their countries of origin, and their potential to become a catalyst for more ambitious and equitable climate action. Using the dominance of fossil fuel companies as an example, the chapter shows that despite the recent diversification of business interests in the negotiations and the emergence of transnational carbon trading coalitions, fossil fuel companies still hold the most sway over states in the negotiations. It then examines the rise of carbon trading in the global market and looks at the main processes by which fossil fuel interests remain dominant.Less
This chapter discusses the engagement of business and environmental nonstate actors in the climate regime, how their efforts have changed over time, and insights from the literature in this area. The goal is to understand how each of them influence humanity's response to climate change, through the UN process and back home in their countries of origin, and their potential to become a catalyst for more ambitious and equitable climate action. Using the dominance of fossil fuel companies as an example, the chapter shows that despite the recent diversification of business interests in the negotiations and the emergence of transnational carbon trading coalitions, fossil fuel companies still hold the most sway over states in the negotiations. It then examines the rise of carbon trading in the global market and looks at the main processes by which fossil fuel interests remain dominant.
Vaclav Smil
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780262035774
- eISBN:
- 9780262338301
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262035774.003.0005
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
This chapter discusses the evolution in uses of fossil fuels, primary electricity, and renewable energy. It first considers the transition from phytomass fuels to fossil fuels and how it resulted in ...
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This chapter discusses the evolution in uses of fossil fuels, primary electricity, and renewable energy. It first considers the transition from phytomass fuels to fossil fuels and how it resulted in the substantial increase in per capita consumption of energy. It then explores the beginnings and diffusion of coal extraction, the replacement of charcoal by metallurgical coke, and the introduction of steam engines and oil and internal combustion engines. It also looks at technical innovations brought by the transition from phytomass fuels to fossil fuels and from animate to mechanical prime movers, focusing on trends in the production of coal, hydrocarbons, and electricity as well as renewable energy and the use of prime movers in transportation.Less
This chapter discusses the evolution in uses of fossil fuels, primary electricity, and renewable energy. It first considers the transition from phytomass fuels to fossil fuels and how it resulted in the substantial increase in per capita consumption of energy. It then explores the beginnings and diffusion of coal extraction, the replacement of charcoal by metallurgical coke, and the introduction of steam engines and oil and internal combustion engines. It also looks at technical innovations brought by the transition from phytomass fuels to fossil fuels and from animate to mechanical prime movers, focusing on trends in the production of coal, hydrocarbons, and electricity as well as renewable energy and the use of prime movers in transportation.
Vaclav Smil
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780262035774
- eISBN:
- 9780262338301
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262035774.003.0006
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
This chapter discusses the rise of a fossil fuel-driven civilization. Modern civilization depends on extracting immense energy stores, depleting finite fossil fuel deposits that cannot be replenished ...
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This chapter discusses the rise of a fossil fuel-driven civilization. Modern civilization depends on extracting immense energy stores, depleting finite fossil fuel deposits that cannot be replenished even on time scales of a magnitude longer than the existence of the human species. By turning to these rich stores we have created societies that transform unprecedented amounts of energy, resulting in enormous improvements in agricultural productivity and crop yields. This chapter considers how unprecedented power has sparked a tremendous increase in consumption of energy, particularly fossil fuels and electricity, in areas such as modern agriculture, transportation, and information and communication. It also examines the contribution of energy to industrialization and economic growth and concludes with an assessment of the negative consequences of high energy use by modern societies.Less
This chapter discusses the rise of a fossil fuel-driven civilization. Modern civilization depends on extracting immense energy stores, depleting finite fossil fuel deposits that cannot be replenished even on time scales of a magnitude longer than the existence of the human species. By turning to these rich stores we have created societies that transform unprecedented amounts of energy, resulting in enormous improvements in agricultural productivity and crop yields. This chapter considers how unprecedented power has sparked a tremendous increase in consumption of energy, particularly fossil fuels and electricity, in areas such as modern agriculture, transportation, and information and communication. It also examines the contribution of energy to industrialization and economic growth and concludes with an assessment of the negative consequences of high energy use by modern societies.
Thomas Princen
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780262028806
- eISBN:
- 9780262327077
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262028806.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
Thomas Princen, in this chapter, argues that extraction of fossil fuels is far more than a utilitarian pursuit that motors industry. It is a way of life that impacts culture. Throughout the chapter, ...
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Thomas Princen, in this chapter, argues that extraction of fossil fuels is far more than a utilitarian pursuit that motors industry. It is a way of life that impacts culture. Throughout the chapter, Princen uses rich examples to illustrate the cultural impacts on industrialized societies that glorify fossil fuels and the products they support, as well as poorer societies that live in extractive zones and are essentially invisible in the process. At both levels - consumers and sacrifice zone peoples – cultures and lives are impacted by fossil fuels. The myth, magic, and ultimate destructive impacts are laid out in this analysis.Less
Thomas Princen, in this chapter, argues that extraction of fossil fuels is far more than a utilitarian pursuit that motors industry. It is a way of life that impacts culture. Throughout the chapter, Princen uses rich examples to illustrate the cultural impacts on industrialized societies that glorify fossil fuels and the products they support, as well as poorer societies that live in extractive zones and are essentially invisible in the process. At both levels - consumers and sacrifice zone peoples – cultures and lives are impacted by fossil fuels. The myth, magic, and ultimate destructive impacts are laid out in this analysis.
Annalee Yassi, Tord Kjellström, Theo de Kok, and Tee L. Guidotti
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195135589
- eISBN:
- 9780199864102
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195135589.003.0009
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter focuses on health and energy use. Topics discussed include human energy needs, biomass fuels, fossil fuels, hydropower, nuclear power, alternative energy sources, comparing risks, and ...
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This chapter focuses on health and energy use. Topics discussed include human energy needs, biomass fuels, fossil fuels, hydropower, nuclear power, alternative energy sources, comparing risks, and priorities for action.Less
This chapter focuses on health and energy use. Topics discussed include human energy needs, biomass fuels, fossil fuels, hydropower, nuclear power, alternative energy sources, comparing risks, and priorities for action.
Malanima Paolo, Astrid Kander, and Paul Warde
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691143620
- eISBN:
- 9781400848881
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691143620.003.0011
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Economic History
This chapter summarizes the book's main findings and their implications for the future, reflecting in particular on the limits of growth, peak oil, technology, and prospects for a return to the ...
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This chapter summarizes the book's main findings and their implications for the future, reflecting in particular on the limits of growth, peak oil, technology, and prospects for a return to the organic economy. The central part of the book's argument is that pre-industrial Europe faced energy constraints to economic growth, and was set free from these constraints by the adoption of fossil fuels, including coal. It suggests that the transition to fossil fuels was both a necessary condition and an enabling factor leading to modern growth. This concluding chapter presents two tenets that can inform contemporary debates about energy transitions and the future of economic growth. First, societies move on trajectories, but what has happened in the past bears a strong influence on paths taken in the future. Second, we can establish relationships between energy consumption and economic growth, even as the character of these relationships is not stable over time.Less
This chapter summarizes the book's main findings and their implications for the future, reflecting in particular on the limits of growth, peak oil, technology, and prospects for a return to the organic economy. The central part of the book's argument is that pre-industrial Europe faced energy constraints to economic growth, and was set free from these constraints by the adoption of fossil fuels, including coal. It suggests that the transition to fossil fuels was both a necessary condition and an enabling factor leading to modern growth. This concluding chapter presents two tenets that can inform contemporary debates about energy transitions and the future of economic growth. First, societies move on trajectories, but what has happened in the past bears a strong influence on paths taken in the future. Second, we can establish relationships between energy consumption and economic growth, even as the character of these relationships is not stable over time.
Thomas Princen, Jack P. Manno, and Pamela L. Martin
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780262028806
- eISBN:
- 9780262327077
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262028806.003.0013
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
The three author-editors, Princen, Manno and Martin summarize the major contributions of the book. First, they have taken inspiration from those on the ground who are trying to keep dangerous ...
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The three author-editors, Princen, Manno and Martin summarize the major contributions of the book. First, they have taken inspiration from those on the ground who are trying to keep dangerous substances in the ground. In one way or another, everyone in this project has a deep connection to the peoples and places that bear the brunt of fossil fuel and mineral extraction. Second, as scholars they have taken on a dual task, one of theorizing and the other of serving, serving those most burdened by extraction and serving all of us on this planet as we transition out of fossil fuels. Above all, they ask if the time has come to challenge the very legitimacy of fossil fuels in the current materialist, consumerist, growth-obsessed, debt-driven culture to entertain the proposition that some stuff is better left in the ground.Less
The three author-editors, Princen, Manno and Martin summarize the major contributions of the book. First, they have taken inspiration from those on the ground who are trying to keep dangerous substances in the ground. In one way or another, everyone in this project has a deep connection to the peoples and places that bear the brunt of fossil fuel and mineral extraction. Second, as scholars they have taken on a dual task, one of theorizing and the other of serving, serving those most burdened by extraction and serving all of us on this planet as we transition out of fossil fuels. Above all, they ask if the time has come to challenge the very legitimacy of fossil fuels in the current materialist, consumerist, growth-obsessed, debt-driven culture to entertain the proposition that some stuff is better left in the ground.
Ramprasad Sengupta
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780198081654
- eISBN:
- 9780199082407
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198081654.003.0012
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The chapter focuses on the analysis of energy resource balance and the ecological limits on energy resources with special reference to the oil crisis in both the global and the Indian context. It ...
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The chapter focuses on the analysis of energy resource balance and the ecological limits on energy resources with special reference to the oil crisis in both the global and the Indian context. It discusses the roles of fossil fuels, nuclear energy, hydro resources, renewables like biomass, bioliquids and other aboitic renewables particularly wind and solar energy resources in providing the energy security for India with some sectorwise details as well as their implications in respect of environmental degradation over the full life cycle of their respective uses. The chapter further discusses the economic effects of the ecological limits as expressed in the forms of resource scarcity and environmental pollution. It then reviews the trend of past energy and carbon efficiency of India and the projections of the same in future as per the study of the expert group of the planning commission and discusses their policy implicationsLess
The chapter focuses on the analysis of energy resource balance and the ecological limits on energy resources with special reference to the oil crisis in both the global and the Indian context. It discusses the roles of fossil fuels, nuclear energy, hydro resources, renewables like biomass, bioliquids and other aboitic renewables particularly wind and solar energy resources in providing the energy security for India with some sectorwise details as well as their implications in respect of environmental degradation over the full life cycle of their respective uses. The chapter further discusses the economic effects of the ecological limits as expressed in the forms of resource scarcity and environmental pollution. It then reviews the trend of past energy and carbon efficiency of India and the projections of the same in future as per the study of the expert group of the planning commission and discusses their policy implications
Alex Lenferna
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- November 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780198813248
- eISBN:
- 9780191851230
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198813248.003.0008
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Public and Welfare, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter begins by providing a brief overview of the divestment movement and the carbon bubble. It then argues that in order to avoid grave, substantial, and unnecessary harm, there is a ...
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This chapter begins by providing a brief overview of the divestment movement and the carbon bubble. It then argues that in order to avoid grave, substantial, and unnecessary harm, there is a collective moral responsibility to transition away from fossil fuels in line with the Paris Agreement’s targets of keeping global warming well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels with the aspiration of holding warming to 1.5°C. It uses that argument as the basis for the following three distinct but reinforcing moral arguments in favor of divesting from fossil fuels: (1) investing in fossil fuels contributes to grave, substantial, and unnecessary harm and injustice; (2) divesting from fossil fuels helps fulfill our moral responsibility to promote climate action; and (3) investing in fossil fuels morally tarnishes those who do so by making them complicit in the injustices of the fossil fuel industry. The chapter begins by providing a brief overview of the divestment movement and the carbon bubble.Less
This chapter begins by providing a brief overview of the divestment movement and the carbon bubble. It then argues that in order to avoid grave, substantial, and unnecessary harm, there is a collective moral responsibility to transition away from fossil fuels in line with the Paris Agreement’s targets of keeping global warming well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels with the aspiration of holding warming to 1.5°C. It uses that argument as the basis for the following three distinct but reinforcing moral arguments in favor of divesting from fossil fuels: (1) investing in fossil fuels contributes to grave, substantial, and unnecessary harm and injustice; (2) divesting from fossil fuels helps fulfill our moral responsibility to promote climate action; and (3) investing in fossil fuels morally tarnishes those who do so by making them complicit in the injustices of the fossil fuel industry. The chapter begins by providing a brief overview of the divestment movement and the carbon bubble.
Vaclav Smil
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780262035774
- eISBN:
- 9780262338301
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262035774.001.0001
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
Energy is the only universal currency; it is necessary for getting anything done. The conversion of energy on Earth ranges from terra-forming forces of plate tectonics to cumulative erosive effects ...
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Energy is the only universal currency; it is necessary for getting anything done. The conversion of energy on Earth ranges from terra-forming forces of plate tectonics to cumulative erosive effects of raindrops. Life on Earth depends on the photosynthetic conversion of solar energy into plant biomass. Humans have come to rely on many more energy flows—ranging from fossil fuels to photovoltaic generation of electricity—for their civilized existence. This book provides a comprehensive account of how energy has shaped society, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today’s fossil fuel-driven civilization. Humans are the only species that can systematically harness energies outside their bodies, using the power of their intellect and an enormous variety of artifacts—from the simplest tools to internal combustion engines and nuclear reactors. The epochal transition to fossil fuels affected everything: agriculture, industry, transportation, weapons, communication, economics, urbanization, quality of life, politics, and the environment. This book describes humanity’s energy eras in panoramic and interdisciplinary fashion, offering readers a magisterial overview.Less
Energy is the only universal currency; it is necessary for getting anything done. The conversion of energy on Earth ranges from terra-forming forces of plate tectonics to cumulative erosive effects of raindrops. Life on Earth depends on the photosynthetic conversion of solar energy into plant biomass. Humans have come to rely on many more energy flows—ranging from fossil fuels to photovoltaic generation of electricity—for their civilized existence. This book provides a comprehensive account of how energy has shaped society, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today’s fossil fuel-driven civilization. Humans are the only species that can systematically harness energies outside their bodies, using the power of their intellect and an enormous variety of artifacts—from the simplest tools to internal combustion engines and nuclear reactors. The epochal transition to fossil fuels affected everything: agriculture, industry, transportation, weapons, communication, economics, urbanization, quality of life, politics, and the environment. This book describes humanity’s energy eras in panoramic and interdisciplinary fashion, offering readers a magisterial overview.
Thomas Princen, Jack P. Manno, and Pamela L. Martin (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780262028806
- eISBN:
- 9780262327077
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262028806.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
Not so long ago, people North and South had little reason to believe that wealth from oil, gas, and coal brought anything but great prosperity. But the presumption of net benefits from fossil fuels ...
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Not so long ago, people North and South had little reason to believe that wealth from oil, gas, and coal brought anything but great prosperity. But the presumption of net benefits from fossil fuels is eroding as widening circles of people rich and poor experience the downside. A positive transition to a post-fossil fuel era cannot wait for global agreement, a swap-in of renewables, a miracle technology, a carbon market, or lifestyle change. This book shows that it is now possible to take the first step toward the post-fossil fuel era, by resisting the slow violence of extreme extraction and combustion, exiting the industry, and imagining a good life after fossil fuels. It shows how an environmental politics of transition might occur, arguing for going to the source rather than managing byproducts, for delegitimizing fossil fuels rather than accommodating them, for engaging a politics of deliberately choosing a post-fossil fuel world. The book includes several chapters of analyses of the fossil fuel problem from the biophysical, cultural, ethical and political perspectives along with case studies that reveal how individuals, groups, communities, and an entire country have taken first steps out of the fossil fuel era, with experiments that range from leaving oil under the Amazon to ending mountaintop removal in Appalachia.Less
Not so long ago, people North and South had little reason to believe that wealth from oil, gas, and coal brought anything but great prosperity. But the presumption of net benefits from fossil fuels is eroding as widening circles of people rich and poor experience the downside. A positive transition to a post-fossil fuel era cannot wait for global agreement, a swap-in of renewables, a miracle technology, a carbon market, or lifestyle change. This book shows that it is now possible to take the first step toward the post-fossil fuel era, by resisting the slow violence of extreme extraction and combustion, exiting the industry, and imagining a good life after fossil fuels. It shows how an environmental politics of transition might occur, arguing for going to the source rather than managing byproducts, for delegitimizing fossil fuels rather than accommodating them, for engaging a politics of deliberately choosing a post-fossil fuel world. The book includes several chapters of analyses of the fossil fuel problem from the biophysical, cultural, ethical and political perspectives along with case studies that reveal how individuals, groups, communities, and an entire country have taken first steps out of the fossil fuel era, with experiments that range from leaving oil under the Amazon to ending mountaintop removal in Appalachia.
Robert Pollin
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780262028233
- eISBN:
- 9780262322867
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262028233.003.0006
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
This chapter shows how building a clean energy economy will be a positive source of net job creation in all regions of the globe, even after taking account of job losses generated by fossil fuel ...
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This chapter shows how building a clean energy economy will be a positive source of net job creation in all regions of the globe, even after taking account of job losses generated by fossil fuel industry retrenchments. The main factors are that building a clean energy economy requires more labor per dollar of spending and, in most cases, a higher proportion of domestic activity, as opposed to spending on imports. This chapter also considers issues of job quality and skill requirements with clean energy sector employment. It also recognizes the need for ‘just transition’ for workers and communities throughout the world whose livelihoods depend on the fossil fuel industry, and who will therefore lose out in the clean energy transition.Less
This chapter shows how building a clean energy economy will be a positive source of net job creation in all regions of the globe, even after taking account of job losses generated by fossil fuel industry retrenchments. The main factors are that building a clean energy economy requires more labor per dollar of spending and, in most cases, a higher proportion of domestic activity, as opposed to spending on imports. This chapter also considers issues of job quality and skill requirements with clean energy sector employment. It also recognizes the need for ‘just transition’ for workers and communities throughout the world whose livelihoods depend on the fossil fuel industry, and who will therefore lose out in the clean energy transition.
George (Rock) Pring, Alexandra Suzann Haas, and Benton Tyler Drinkwine
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199532698
- eISBN:
- 9780191701054
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199532698.003.0002
- Subject:
- Law, Environmental and Energy Law
The TANSTAAFL principle— ‘There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch’—controls everything on our energy menu. All forms of energy have their negative impacts on sustainable development ...
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The TANSTAAFL principle— ‘There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch’—controls everything on our energy menu. All forms of energy have their negative impacts on sustainable development values—including impacts on the environment and human health, as well as those affecting human rights, empowerment of women, energy security, and the economy. Many ‘free lunches’ are being and will be proposed. Most will be, in the words of one of our foremost climate change experts, ‘planetary methadone for our planetary heroin addiction’ to energy. The key is always to analyse each energy source for its full life-cycle impacts. Fossil fuels have unacceptably more clear, more numerous, more severe, and more permanent risks for our world than most of the alternatives. Viewed through the lens of costs and benefits, getting ‘beyond the carbon economy’ is no longer just an environmentalist issue. It is an environmental and survival necessity. This chapter looks at a number of alternative energy sources such as nuclear power, biomass, hydropower, geothermal energy, solar energy, wind energy, and hydrogen and fuel cells.Less
The TANSTAAFL principle— ‘There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch’—controls everything on our energy menu. All forms of energy have their negative impacts on sustainable development values—including impacts on the environment and human health, as well as those affecting human rights, empowerment of women, energy security, and the economy. Many ‘free lunches’ are being and will be proposed. Most will be, in the words of one of our foremost climate change experts, ‘planetary methadone for our planetary heroin addiction’ to energy. The key is always to analyse each energy source for its full life-cycle impacts. Fossil fuels have unacceptably more clear, more numerous, more severe, and more permanent risks for our world than most of the alternatives. Viewed through the lens of costs and benefits, getting ‘beyond the carbon economy’ is no longer just an environmentalist issue. It is an environmental and survival necessity. This chapter looks at a number of alternative energy sources such as nuclear power, biomass, hydropower, geothermal energy, solar energy, wind energy, and hydrogen and fuel cells.
Henok Birhanu Asmelash
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198802242
- eISBN:
- 9780191840586
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198802242.003.0018
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The growing recognition that fossil-fuel subsidies are economically inefficient and harmful for the environment has led to widespread calls for—and efforts to bring about- the phasing out of ...
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The growing recognition that fossil-fuel subsidies are economically inefficient and harmful for the environment has led to widespread calls for—and efforts to bring about- the phasing out of fossil-fuel subsidies over the last few years. Despite these efforts, however, fossil-fuel subsidies remain prevalent around the world. The existing international legal framework is too weak and fragmented to support fossil-fuel subsidy reform efforts and an international agreement is essential. This chapter explores, from a sustainable energy transition perspective, the challenges and prospects of and avenues for negotiating a binding multilateral agreement on fossil-fuel subsidies. The chapter posits that the Friends of Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform are in a position to take the lead and that the ball is in the court of the World Trade Organization (WTO).Less
The growing recognition that fossil-fuel subsidies are economically inefficient and harmful for the environment has led to widespread calls for—and efforts to bring about- the phasing out of fossil-fuel subsidies over the last few years. Despite these efforts, however, fossil-fuel subsidies remain prevalent around the world. The existing international legal framework is too weak and fragmented to support fossil-fuel subsidy reform efforts and an international agreement is essential. This chapter explores, from a sustainable energy transition perspective, the challenges and prospects of and avenues for negotiating a binding multilateral agreement on fossil-fuel subsidies. The chapter posits that the Friends of Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform are in a position to take the lead and that the ball is in the court of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Vaclav Smil
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- July 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195168747
- eISBN:
- 9780199835522
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195168747.003.0006
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Economic History
Pre-WWI technical advances have created economies and societies whose abundance of material possessions, rates of energy consumption, and overall tempo of life were entirely unprecedented. Both the ...
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Pre-WWI technical advances have created economies and societies whose abundance of material possessions, rates of energy consumption, and overall tempo of life were entirely unprecedented. Both the fundamental infrastructures of modern life and countless everyday actions rest on enduring artifacts and ubiquitous innovations of the Age of Synergy. Mechanization of virtually all productive tasks led to mass production and both were made possible by steadily rising combustion of fossil fuels and generation of electricity. They brought new economic arrangements (including powerful multinational companies) as well as new forms of leisure.Less
Pre-WWI technical advances have created economies and societies whose abundance of material possessions, rates of energy consumption, and overall tempo of life were entirely unprecedented. Both the fundamental infrastructures of modern life and countless everyday actions rest on enduring artifacts and ubiquitous innovations of the Age of Synergy. Mechanization of virtually all productive tasks led to mass production and both were made possible by steadily rising combustion of fossil fuels and generation of electricity. They brought new economic arrangements (including powerful multinational companies) as well as new forms of leisure.
John A. Mathews
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780804791502
- eISBN:
- 9780804793162
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804791502.003.0002
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The second chapter opens with a discussion of the first “Great Transformation” and the process of industrialization itself, which has proven to be such a powerful transformative influence. The ...
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The second chapter opens with a discussion of the first “Great Transformation” and the process of industrialization itself, which has proven to be such a powerful transformative influence. The creation of industrial capitalism was achieved first in Britain in the 18th century, it ushered in an industrial revolution, which then spread through the West, creating wealth as it did so, and is now spreading worldwide, principally to China, India and Brazil. This Great Transformation (Polanyi 1944) was achieved through far-reaching changes to the economic availability of labor, energy, of natural materials and finance. These are the markets whose functioning will have to change in an eco-aware capitalism – and they are markets that are already changing in China as it accomplishes a Great Convergemce with the West. But the industrial model being used cannot scale.Less
The second chapter opens with a discussion of the first “Great Transformation” and the process of industrialization itself, which has proven to be such a powerful transformative influence. The creation of industrial capitalism was achieved first in Britain in the 18th century, it ushered in an industrial revolution, which then spread through the West, creating wealth as it did so, and is now spreading worldwide, principally to China, India and Brazil. This Great Transformation (Polanyi 1944) was achieved through far-reaching changes to the economic availability of labor, energy, of natural materials and finance. These are the markets whose functioning will have to change in an eco-aware capitalism – and they are markets that are already changing in China as it accomplishes a Great Convergemce with the West. But the industrial model being used cannot scale.
