Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization

The combustion of fossil fuels generates more than 90% of all anthropogenic sulfur,

The numbers involved are not trivial: in per capita terms the annual generation of plastic packaging waste alone is now close to 40

three ancient mechanical prime movers: sails, water wheels, and wind mills.

fairly comprehensive environmental profiles of materials – including, as applicable, assessments of their GWP, acidification potential, water consumption, and water pollution burden – or comparisons of specific consequences

it is inevitable that the post-2030 world will face an unprecedented burden of concrete deterioration.

there is a limit to this reuse due to rising levels of other elements now added to make aluminum alloys (use of pure, 99.8%, aluminum has declined as alloys were selected to meet a variety of specific demands).

men can work steadily at rates between 60 and 80 W, averaging about 1000 g/W

weavers could produce cloth only as wide as their arm span and wider cloth required the cooperation of two weavers. This changed in 1733 with John Kay's invention of a flying shuttle that could be sent by flicks of the wrist from one end of the loom to another; the most important innovation allowing cheaper, mass-scale production of cloth came in 1

combustion of fuel oil or natural gas, coal-fired plants have to consume a higher portion of the generated electricity on air pollution control (capturing fly-ash, desulfurization, reducing NOx emissions) and solid waste disposal

but the city's expansion above the mined galleries led to collapsing tunnels and surface subsidence