Status Updates From Energy and Civilization: A ...

Imperatives of Energy Need and Uses

Between Determinism and Choice

Then intensification of production has been enabled by the reliable supply of affordable energies and has promoted the economies of scale evident in industrial concentration.
But in a number of industries (microbreweries) a reverse movement has been under way since 1970's

What Has Not Changed?

Long Term Trends and Falling Costs

2 Early breakthroughs would accelerate the shift: swift construction of nuclear plants based on the best available designs, and the availability of new, inexpensive ways to store wind and solar electricity on massive scales.

Although the sequence of 3 substitutions does not mean the fourth transitions, now in its early stage (fossil fuels being replaced by new conversions of renewable energy), will proceed at similar pace, the odds are heavily in favor of another protracted process.

The 2 most important factors explaining the similarities in the pace of transitions are the prerequisite for enormous infrastructural investment and the inertia of massively embedded energy systems.

As long as the established sources of prime movers work well within established settings, are readily available, and are profitable, their substitutes, even those with clearly superior attributes, will advance only slowly.

Energy eras and Transitions

Energy in World History

Grand Patterns of Energy Use

Environmental Changes

The conclusion is clear: Broader strategic aims, wether well justified or misplaced, and not a quest for resources have lead America into post World-War II conflicts.

Atomic bombs in Japan was an irrational overkill. "Nuclear weapons are not weapons of war. The only purpose they can possibly have is to deter the use by the opposite side, and for that purpose far fewer is enough. "

Nuclear bombs imposed a significant drain on national treasuries as it required enormous investment and very large amounts of energy.

Weapons and Wars.

The waste and misallocation of investments and skilled manpower -- most notably the development of weapons irrelevant to new forms of warfare. (massed tank warfare is hardly the best response to jihadi terrorism).

Political Implications

Political Implications.

Quality of Life

Urbanization:
Common Rural environmental burdens include very high concentrations of indoor air pollutants (Particularly fine particulate mater) from unvented biomass combustion, inadequate heating in colder climates, unsafe water supplies, poor personal hygiene, dilapidated, overcrowded housing, and minimal or no opportunities to see the children properly educated.

Consequences and Concerns

Economic Growth

Information and Communication

Transportation

TYPO: 350 kWh/t kWh/t of Steel.

Toyota's famous production system - an alliterative trio of "mud, mura, muri". (reducing non-value adding activities, and uneven pace of production, and an excessive workload)

The Principles of Scientific Management (Book)