Author: Reza Nadimi Publisher: Springer ISBN: 9811378401 Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 163
Book Description
This book utilizes statistical techniques to define a quality of life (QoL) indicator combining the three dimensions of economy, health, and education. In turn, it uses modeling to assess the impact of energy consumption on 112 countries’ QoL. What sets the proposed model apart from previous research is its ability to distinguish between pre-developing, developing, and developed countries. One important aspect of this distinction is their different global energy policies and their priorities with regard to achieving sustainable energy consumption. Accordingly, the book also discusses eco-sufficiency, eco-efficiency, and energy poverty reduction for the three different types of countries. In turn, the book provides general information on how to reconcile sustainable energy consumption with QoL and economic development. Optimization programming technique and simulation are applied to measure potential energy saving in each country, without sacrificing economic progress, and while maintaining QoL. Given its scope, the book is highly recommended to the following audiences: (1) readers seeking a state-of-the-art quantitative work on energy systems and QoL; (2) manufacturers and developers of renewable energy technologies who consider renewables as an option for mitigating energy poverty; and (3) international institutions such as the United Nations seeking a sustainable global energy strategy.
Author: Vaclav Smil Publisher: MIT Press ISBN: 0262536161 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 564
Book Description
A comprehensive account of how energy has shaped society throughout history, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today's fossil fuel–driven civilization. "I wait for new Smil books the way some people wait for the next 'Star Wars' movie. In his latest book, Energy and Civilization: A History, he goes deep and broad to explain how innovations in humans' ability to turn energy into heat, light, and motion have been a driving force behind our cultural and economic progress over the past 10,000 years. —Bill Gates, Gates Notes, Best Books of the Year 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. In this monumental history, Vaclav Smil 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. Smil describes humanity's energy eras in panoramic and interdisciplinary fashion, offering readers a magisterial overview. This book is an extensively updated and expanded version of Smil's Energy in World History (1994). Smil has incorporated an enormous amount of new material, reflecting the dramatic developments in energy studies over the last two decades and his own research over that time.