Why should we be concerned that so much of our energy is coming from fossil fuels? Second, unintended environmental consequences result from the extensive scale of our use of the fossil fuels Air pollution, health problems, and global climate changes Can we find solutions to these problems of resource depletion and environmental pollution? The purpose of this course: to gain understanding concerning the essential points
Why should we be concerned that so much of our energy is coming from fossil fuels? Second, unintended environmental consequences result from the extensive scale of our use of the fossil fuels. Air pollution, health problems, and global climate changes. Can we find solutions to these problems of resource depletion and environmental pollution? The purpose of this course: to gain understanding concerning the essential points
2. Why Do We(Us)Use so Much Energy? We don't use our energy resources as efficiently as we could There is a large discrepancy between the rate of energy use by a typical citizen of an industrialized society and the typical citizen of a developing coun 40.000 Switzerland United States 30.000 Iceland g20,.00 Germany Belgium Canada Italy 10,000 e Poland oC.ECUador 10 60 Barrels of oil/capita Figure 1.3 The Gross Domestic Product(GDP)per capita in U.S. dollars compared to the total energy consumed per capita in equivalent barrels of oil for several countries
2. Why Do We (US) Use So Much Energy? We don’t use our energy resources as efficiently as we could. There is a large discrepancy between the rate of energy use by a typical citizen of an industrialized society and the typical citizen of a developing country. Figure 1.3 The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in U.S. dollars is compared to the total energy consumed per capita in equivalent barrels of oil for several countries
$45,000 $40,000 Japan◆ USA $35,000 $30000 UK Canada 25000 Germany ◆ France Australia $20,000 $15000 Spain Korea 10000 Argentina World average 5000 ◆ South Africa o China A◆◆ 8 kW/capita GDP/capita -$ 4,000
GDP/capita ~ $ 4,000
To pursue a higher standard OT lIvIng We don't use our energy Figure 1.4 Horsepower per resources as efficiently as capita of all prime movers in the we could US Since 1850 The combustion of a single pound of coal, supposing it to take place in minute, is equivalent to the work of three hundred horses: and Nonautomotive the force set free in the burning of 300 pounds of coal is equivalent 0.38 to the work of an able-bodied man for a lifetime quote from an early physics textbook 1850 1870 1910 1950 1970 2010
We don’t use our energy resources as efficiently as we could. To pursue a higher standard of living Figure 1.4 Horsepower per capita of all prime movers in the US since 1850.. 0.38 The combustion of a single pound of coal, supposing it to take place in minute, is equivalent to the work of three hundred horses; and the force set free in the burning of 300 pounds of coal is equivalent to the work of an able-bodied man for a lifetime. - quote from an early physics textbook