Energy Consumption Per Capita – Part 2
Its U.S. total rose more than fivefold during the two pre-WWI generations, but the country’s rapid population growth, from about 36 million people in 1865 to just more than 97 million in 1913, reduced this to less than a twofold (1.8 times) increase in per capita terms, a rise that prorates to annual growth of merely 1.2%.
Vaclav Smil • Creating the Twentieth Century: Technical Innovations of 1867-1914 and Their Lasting Impact (Technical Revolutions and Their Lasting Impact)
In 1995, crude oil extraction finally surpassed the 1979 record and then continued to rise, meeting the demand of an economically reforming China as well as the rising demand elsewhere in Asia—but oil has not regained its pre-1975 relative dominance.[49] Its share of the global commercial primary energy supply fell from 45 percent in 1970 to 38 per
... See moreVaclav Smil • How the World Really Works: The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We're Going
There are three environmental challenges posed by the economic rise of India and China. First, at the global level, is the threat of rapid and irreversible climate change due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases. As the early industrializers, the nations of the West were the original culprits; that said, the
Ramachandra Guha • Environmentalism
There is a great conflict between two of the most pressing problems of our time: poverty and climate change. To avoid global warming, the world needs to massively reduce CO2 emissions. But to end poverty, the world needs massive amounts of energy. In developing economies, every kWh of energy consumed is worth roughly $5 of GDP.
Roots of Progress • Why Has Nuclear Power Been a Flop?
The smart grid, which used Open Data to help consumers control their use of electricity, dramatically increased energy efficiency nationwide.