ralfyman
New member
Right only, only around 25 pct of the world’s population have ready access to such goods and services, and another 20 pct (found mostly in Asia, but now growing in South America, the Middle East, and Africa) are slowing acquiring the same, and the energy needed to support such plus basic needs for everyone (which alone are barely accessible by around 60 pct of the world’s population) involves something like 100 million barrels of oil a day, and energy equivalent to 500 TW.
Meanwhile, diminishing returns are taking place across the board. Every seven years, the oil industry has been tripling investments in exchange for an increase in oil production that is cut by two-thirds. Over a hundred years ago, miners could find high-grade copper near or on the surface. Now, they have to expend large amounts of energy (with trucks whose wheels are three times the height of a regular adult, and which burns at least a liter of diesel an hour while idle) just to move millions of tons of earth to get small amounts of copper at much lower grades.
In short, how does one meet growing energy and resource demand from a human population that wants what is the equivalent of two earths with an energy mix that does not scale up readily, that has lower energy returns compared to oil in the past, and that has to meet (a) basic needs of a growing population, (b) the terrific needs of a growing middle class (e.g., one report indicates that in the future, China alone will require up to half of the world’s resources), and (c) diminishing returns, where costs in terms of energy and debt go up by up to three times in return for advancements that are cut down by a third to two-thirds?
Clearly, hydrogen fuel won’t cut it, and we’ll be lucky if all energy sources available will meet two-thirds of future demands. That is, demands based on a global economy where everyone wants to make more money and buy more stuff, just like the 25 pct of the world’s population doing it now, and dreaming of replacing their expensive gas- and diesel-powered vehicles used for leisurely travel with hydrogen-powered ones.
Meanwhile, diminishing returns are taking place across the board. Every seven years, the oil industry has been tripling investments in exchange for an increase in oil production that is cut by two-thirds. Over a hundred years ago, miners could find high-grade copper near or on the surface. Now, they have to expend large amounts of energy (with trucks whose wheels are three times the height of a regular adult, and which burns at least a liter of diesel an hour while idle) just to move millions of tons of earth to get small amounts of copper at much lower grades.
In short, how does one meet growing energy and resource demand from a human population that wants what is the equivalent of two earths with an energy mix that does not scale up readily, that has lower energy returns compared to oil in the past, and that has to meet (a) basic needs of a growing population, (b) the terrific needs of a growing middle class (e.g., one report indicates that in the future, China alone will require up to half of the world’s resources), and (c) diminishing returns, where costs in terms of energy and debt go up by up to three times in return for advancements that are cut down by a third to two-thirds?
Clearly, hydrogen fuel won’t cut it, and we’ll be lucky if all energy sources available will meet two-thirds of future demands. That is, demands based on a global economy where everyone wants to make more money and buy more stuff, just like the 25 pct of the world’s population doing it now, and dreaming of replacing their expensive gas- and diesel-powered vehicles used for leisurely travel with hydrogen-powered ones.