Smil ch. 6 part 2

energy-rich urbanizing societies with capitalist (laissez-faire) economies developed a substantial middle class

quality of life:

• personal choice (freedom)
• better household items and clothing
  
• health
• pleasant natural environment
• access to entertainment
  

the US uses the most energy per capita
but we aren't at the top in many measures of quality of life
Why?

• health care is expensive
• health care access in the US is more uneven than other countries
  
• people make bad health choices like not vaccinating (but likely true elsewhere)
• more teen pregnancies with higher health risks and older women having babies
  
• prejudice means some people who have money/insurance get inferior care
• might be statistical variation or different priorities
  

freedom/choice vs. making sure everyone has basic services (at the cost of higher taxes)
more emphasis on freedom/choice means faster technological progress
but it also means more people don't have a fair chance

but we don't always use energy/technology for good

• has cheap food gone too far?
• at what point is uneven distribution of the benefits a problem?
  

intensive energy use gives more destructive power

• when does doing the same thing with more power become different?
• energy to build many weapons quickly is as important as weapons

environment

• before 1965 environmental concerns local health effects--the solution to pollution is dilution
  
• acid rain mostly from coal fired power plants damaging forests regionally 1970s and 1980s
  
• ozone layer (chlorofluorocarbons used in air conditioning and refrigeration)--1970s, fixed by 2000
  
• global warming due to increase in CO2 in the atmosphere 2000s