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Re: Ecological Economics and Entropy
On 03 Nov 1996 19:26:05 GMT, jmc@Steam.stanford.edu (John McCarthy)
wrote:
>Thermodynamics only recognizes one entropy, because all of its
>manifestations are transformable into one another. For example, water
>that requires purification can be purified (its entropy reduced) by
>using free energy from nuclear or solar power (thereby increasing the
>entropy of the rest of the universe). However, neither nuclear nor
>solar free energy will run out in the next 5 billion years, so Hanson
>needs some additional argument to show that we are doomed in less than
>34 years.
Solar "income" is limited by the finite surface area that sunlight
impinges on, and sunlight's intermittent & dispersed nature is what
has prevented it from being practical on a huge scale. As for nuclear
power, the dream of fusion is always out of reach and not guaranteed
by any means (although cornucopians treat it as a given). The
byproducts of fission are very risky and we would be unwise to put all
our eggs in that basket - which is exactly why nuclear power has been
so restricted. Wise people are thankfully making policy decisions in
that area.
Why not try the work-smarter approach of putting at least half our
effort into *reducing demand* instead of always looking toward
increasing the supply of everything? The assumption that we can
support 15 billion people is the wrong attitude to begin with.
- A.J.
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