Resource Concepts and Terms resources: all materials/forces in the environment that can be used. reserves: quantities of resources that are known and are legally and economically extractable with current technology. projected reserves: current reserves plus all resources that may become reserves due to improved technologies and changing prices. renewable resources: such as farmland soil, water, solar, forests, and fisheries, where the sustainable rate of use can be no greater than the rate of regeneration. solar-based renewable energy resources are ultimately powered by the sun: solar, wind, hydropower, wave and biomass

Resources (con’t.) non-renewable resources: substances such as fossil fuels, high grade mineral ore, and fossil groundwater. Can these have a sustainable rate of use? one view: their sustainable rate of use can be no greater than the rate at which a renewable resource can be substituted for it (eg. oil, where part of the profits are invested towards the development of renewable resources, so that renewables can eventually substitute for oil) another view: libertarian

A problem with the libertarian view is externalities: costs of an economic activity that are not directly paid for by the buyers and/or sellers of the activity, but rather by other people or industries, in the present generation or the future. Libertarians have no evidence-based argument for this problem.

Resource concepts (con’t) sustainable rate of emissions (pollutants): max. rate at which it can be recycled, absorbed, or rendered harmless by the environment.

The Human Command of Energy Through Time In the distant human past, pre-fire and pre-agriculture, humans would have done all work with their own bodies. In such a setting, each human would need about 100 watts of power for sustenance. (2400 watt-hrs/day or 2.4 kWh, which is 2064 food calories) But eventually, humans figured out how to accomplish more with their efforts: fire for cooking and hunting tools, domesticated animals, and agriculture By 1800 the world average per person power utilization had quintupled to ~500 watts, (5 energy “servants”): water and wind power, some coal By 2000, global average was 20 energy servants, in the US, 100+: combustion of fossil fuels (~87% from fossil fuels) Are the global and US rates and sources sustainable? (fossil fuel combustion and climate change) concept of anthropocene http://www.anthropocene.info/

Review of Carrying Capacity & Society Interaction between carrying capacity & size of physical economy (graphs) limits the sensing of signals (scientific community) forces shaping the nature and timing of responses: science media capitalism, society, politics public perception case study of climate change science: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxyQNEVOElU distortion of science: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX3y6BQd4LI story of Richard Muller: http://www.democracynow.org/2012/8/2/climate_skeptic_koch_funded_scientist_richard

Power and Energy Power: rate of energy use through time (common measurement is watts) Energy: the capacity for doing work (but this def. is too vague). Some common measurements: calories, kilowatt-hours, BTUs, joules energy = power x time (1 watt hour = 1 watt of power flowing for 1 hour) Some common forms of energy: heat (thermal energy), motion (kinetic or mechanical), light (electromagnetic), chemical (of fuels and foodstuffs). energy or power density (areal production): watts per square meter. (for fuels): expressed in energy units per unit mass