1/11/19

The way different human societies live is very fundamentally based on energyper capita energy use and
            development
we think of economies in terms of money, but energy is more fundamental
"Energy is the only universal currency"
on the first level, more developed societies use more energy--using more energy (via technology) gives us easier lives
BUT that depends on how wastefully we use energy
and how efficient are the particular technologies we use

Determinism:
consider as fundamental steps in history changing prime movers and fuel bases

laws of thermodynamics--usable energy

units:

fun fact: Joule defined one horsepower as more than what an average horse at the time could to do make his engines look good

Jevons paradox: new technology improves efficiency but instead of using less of that resource we use more (eg. our cars get better fuel efficiency (miles per gallon) but instead of using less gasoline we use more because now we drive more miles)

energy return: in agriculture how much energy do you expend to grow the crop and then how much usable energy do you get out of the crop
different from yield: if you plant 10 seeds do the plants you grow yield 200 seeds?

"Smil recognized that energy starts big: the location of the planet leading to life, the atmosphere providing rain to allow for plants to grow, and the ground itself where organisms can live. Yet Smil also alludes to the idea that how civilization uses energy starts small and is an individual or societal decision."