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Re: Ecological Economics and Entropy
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Subject: Re: Ecological Economics and Entropy
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From: Jay Hanson <jhanson@ilhawaii.net>
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Date: Tue, 05 Nov 1996 09:07:58 -1000
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Article: 15670 of alt.sustainable.agriculture
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Newsgroups: talk.environment, sci.environment, sci.energy, sci.econ, sci.agriculture, alt.sustainable.agriculture
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Organization: See http://csf.Colorado.EDU/authors/hanson/
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References: <542t7d$iep@rainbow.rmii.com> <32665F05.112@ilhawaii.net> <54daqh$msl@thrush.sover.net> <326AD33B.2375@cris.com> <mcaldon-2010962323350001@la-dial2-09.wavenet.com> <326caa79.347097428@nntp.st.usm.edu> <mcaldon-2110961451160001@la-dial2-05.wavenet.com> <01bbbfa0$4917f500$89d0d6cc@masher> <54je4g$cja@newsy.ifm.liu.se> <558bmk$d9u@hpcvsnz.cv.hp.com> <55bupq$qmt@news.inforamp.net> <327A1D06.2B54@ilhawaii.net> <55dfco$7fk_001@pm3-134.hal-pc.org> <4Xf+YMAdqzeyEw20@dweinstein.demon.co.uk> <327c8189.25 <327CE5DB.3B8C@ilhawaii.net> <55muqu$1gl@newsy.ifm.liu.se>
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Reply-To: jhanson@ilhawaii.net
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Xref: newz.oit.unc.edu talk.environment:75290 sci.environment:110231 sci.energy:56951 sci.econ:59611 sci.agriculture:15296 alt.sustainable.agriculture:15670
Magnus Redin wrote:
-> Jay Hanson <jhanson@ilhawaii.net> writes:
->
-> > Here a explanation of how thermodynamics is used in
-> > ecological economics:
-> > ------------
-> > All matter and energy in the universe are subject to
-> > the Laws of Thermodynamics. In the discipline of Ecological
-> > Economics, systems are delimited so that they are meaningful
-> > to our economy. What does thermodynamics have to do with the
-> > sustainability of food production?
->
-> Life works "uphill" and gives matter a higher "order". It does that
-> with the help of external energy from the sun and chemical energy
like
-> in volcanic ocean floor vents. That energy is dissipated and the
-> overall "disorder" increases. There is plenty of sunshine to drive
-> this so plants and animals keep on living.
->
-> The same reasoning applies to our technical culture. It needs
external
-> energy to produce things and turn disorder, like trash, into order,
-> like usefull products. The more energy we got the easier it is to
-> counter "disorder". That is one good reason to appreciate nuclear
-> energy since it gives enormous ammounts of energy from tiny ammounts
-> of fuel. This works until we run out of Uranium and Thorium and that
-> wont happen for millenia.
I won't join the nuke debates, but other than that, we agree.
You agree, McCarthy agrees, but Harold, dlj, and charliew
still don't get it. I have other things to do, see if you
can explain entropy to them.
Jay
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