Author: Michael Düren
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319579665
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 121
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Book Description
This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This book focuses on the global cycles of energy, water and carbon, which are not only the essentials of our main energy carriers, the fossil fuels, but are also the building blocks of life. The book offers an overview of the basic scientific facts and relationships that are needed to understand today’s energy generation and use, how they relate to global climate, the water cycle and other resources, and the complexities of energy policy. Building on the work of the Desertec project, it presents the main technological options that we will have in a world after the “Energiewende” and presents the possible future solutions for a sustainable world. The book is written in an engaging, descriptive style that can be understood by those without specific knowledge of science or economics and allows readers to form their own conclusions. Controversy rages over energy problems, climate change and their possible solutions. Expressions like “climate deniers”, “renaissance of nuclear energy”, “stop the war on coal”, and “Energiewende now” represent a diversity of opinions that divide our society and political leaders. This book shows the reader the whole energy picture and how it is part of the wider global problems of overpopulation and uncontrolled economies in a world of limited resources.
Author: Vaclav Smil
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262536161
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 564
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Book Description
A comprehensive account of how energy has shaped society throughout history, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today's fossil fuel–driven civilization. "I wait for new Smil books the way some people wait for the next 'Star Wars' movie. In his latest book, Energy and Civilization: A History, he goes deep and broad to explain how innovations in humans' ability to turn energy into heat, light, and motion have been a driving force behind our cultural and economic progress over the past 10,000 years. —Bill Gates, Gates Notes, Best Books of the Year Energy is the only universal currency; it is necessary for getting anything done. The conversion of energy on Earth ranges from terra-forming forces of plate tectonics to cumulative erosive effects of raindrops. Life on Earth depends on the photosynthetic conversion of solar energy into plant biomass. Humans have come to rely on many more energy flows—ranging from fossil fuels to photovoltaic generation of electricity—for their civilized existence. In this monumental history, Vaclav Smil provides a comprehensive account of how energy has shaped society, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today's fossil fuel–driven civilization. Humans are the only species that can systematically harness energies outside their bodies, using the power of their intellect and an enormous variety of artifacts—from the simplest tools to internal combustion engines and nuclear reactors. The epochal transition to fossil fuels affected everything: agriculture, industry, transportation, weapons, communication, economics, urbanization, quality of life, politics, and the environment. Smil describes humanity's energy eras in panoramic and interdisciplinary fashion, offering readers a magisterial overview. This book is an extensively updated and expanded version of Smil's Energy in World History (1994). Smil has incorporated an enormous amount of new material, reflecting the dramatic developments in energy studies over the last two decades and his own research over that time.
Author: Sean Carroll
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0698409760
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 482
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Book Description
The instant New York Times bestseller about humanity's place in the universe—and how we understand it. “Vivid...impressive....Splendidly informative.”—The New York Times “Succeeds spectacularly.”—Science “A tour de force.”—Salon Already internationally acclaimed for his elegant, lucid writing on the most challenging notions in modern physics, Sean Carroll is emerging as one of the greatest humanist thinkers of his generation as he brings his extraordinary intellect to bear not only on Higgs bosons and extra dimensions but now also on our deepest personal questions: Where are we? Who are we? Are our emotions, our beliefs, and our hopes and dreams ultimately meaningless out there in the void? Do human purpose and meaning fit into a scientific worldview? In short chapters filled with intriguing historical anecdotes, personal asides, and rigorous exposition, readers learn the difference between how the world works at the quantum level, the cosmic level, and the human level—and then how each connects to the other. Carroll's presentation of the principles that have guided the scientific revolution from Darwin and Einstein to the origins of life, consciousness, and the universe is dazzlingly unique. Carroll shows how an avalanche of discoveries in the past few hundred years has changed our world and what really matters to us. Our lives are dwarfed like never before by the immensity of space and time, but they are redeemed by our capacity to comprehend it and give it meaning. The Big Picture is an unprecedented scientific worldview, a tour de force that will sit on shelves alongside the works of Stephen Hawking, Carl Sagan, Daniel Dennett, and E. O. Wilson for years to come.
Author: Raj Sharma
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 9811567247
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 66
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Book Description
This book analyzes the entire spectrum of energy, from conventional sources to various alternative sources. Historically, the Sun has been viewed as the ultimate source of energy on the Earth. All forms of energy – fossil fuels and renewables alike – owe their existence to the Sun. The book also provides a historical perspective on energy policy over the years. It explains the fundamentals of energy and all related aspects using clear and straightforward language, and will serve as a reference guide for all stakeholders including policymakers, academics, students and world citizens in general.
Author: Günther Bachmann
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000581314
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 159
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Book Description
This book builds on the insights of Günther Bachmann, former Secretary General for the German Sustainability Council, who spent almost 20 years advising the German government on sustainability policy. The book discusses his experiences in negotiating stakeholder statements at the highest national levels. Bachmann takes the reader behind the scenes of German sustainable policy and practice, whilst also comparing Germany with other national approaches. He tells the story of political events from his insider perspective, unfolding the narrative of sustainable development goals and how activists in their respective countries could and should relate to it. Furthermore, he suggests new lines of vision through the tangle of conference fatigue and buzzwords. The book argues that environmentalists often display entrenched attitudes that too often downplay success. The rhetoric of crisis and doom, if overstretched and reduced to alarm, paralyses action and innovation. Bachmann, who on the contrary argues positively and concretely, shows unusual but significant signs of hope and confidence in action and how these can be made effective in the politics of sustainable development. This book will be of global relevance to sustainability professionals and policy makers and will advise them on how to successfully move ahead with sustainability policies.
Author: Michael Düren
Publisher:
ISBN: 9783319579672
Category : Electrical engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 110
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Book Description
Author: Michael Düren
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781013268915
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 120
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Book Description
This book focuses on the global cycles of energy, water and carbon, which are not only the essentials of our main energy carriers, the fossil fuels, but are also the building blocks of life. The book offers an overview of the basic scientific facts and relationships that are needed to understand today's energy generation and use, how they relate to global climate, the water cycle and other resources, and the complexities of energy policy. Building on the work of the Desertec project, it presents the main technological options that we will have in a world after the "Energiewende" and presents the possible future solutions for a sustainable world. The book is written in an engaging, descriptive style that can be understood by those without specific knowledge of science or economics and allows readers to form their own conclusions. Controversy rages over energy problems, climate change and their possible solutions. Expressions like "climate deniers", "renaissance of nuclear energy", "stop the war on coal", and "Energiewende now" represent a diversity of opinions that divide our society and political leaders. This book shows the reader the whole energy picture and how it is part of the wider global problems of overpopulation and uncontrolled economies in a world of limited resources. This work was published by Saint Philip Street Press pursuant to a Creative Commons license permitting commercial use. All rights not granted by the work's license are retained by the author or authors.
Author: R. Philip Bouchard
Publisher: Timber Press
ISBN: 1643260421
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 281
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Book Description
A wise and witty look at the real scientific principles behind some of the most commonly held—and widely spread—scientific misconceptions.
Author: Adrian V. Gheorghe
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1394157746
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 324
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Book Description
Enable Resilience-Informed Decision-Making with an insightful combination of systems engineering concepts In Gamification for Resilience: Informed Resilient Decision Making, a team of distinguished researchers delivers an insightful and exciting integration of game theory, design, and applications that explains how to create a resilient city that promotes sustainable development, well-being, and inclusive growth. The authors combine several concepts and techniques taken from serious gaming and integrate them into decision-making theory, demonstrating how to enable Resilience-Informed Decision-Making. The book addresses critical infrastructure systems and how to ensure these systems are supported against manmade and natural threats and hazards. It includes thought-provoking research questions and case applications that will engage and challenge readers and create an active and memorable learning experience. Readers will also find: A thorough introduction to systems theory as the basis for bridging science and the practice of engineering systems Comprehensive explorations of gamification and its application to the resilience-informed decision-making process Practical discussions of the analysis and assessment of risk and vulnerability via serious gaming Fulsome treatments of the representation of system complexity using object-oriented programming Perfect for professionals and researchers working in the areas of decision making, gamification, resilience, risk assessments, and critical infrastructures, Gamification for Resilience: Informed Resilient Decision Making will also benefit undergraduate and graduate students studying urban planning, smart cities, and related subjects.
Author: Mahmoud M. El-Halwagi
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0080514189
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 335
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Book Description
The environmental impact of industrial waste is one of the most serious challenges facing the chemical process industries. From a focus on end-of-pipe treatment in the 1970s, chemical manufacturers have increasinglyimplemented pollution prevention policies in which pollutants are mitigated at the source or separated and recovered and then reused or sold. This book is the first to present systematic techniques for cost-effective pollution prevention, altering what has been an art that depends on experience and subjective opinion into a science rooted in fundamental engineering principles and process integration. Step-by-step procedures are presented that are widely applicable to the chemical, petrochemical, petroleum, pharmaceutical, food, and metals industries. Various levels of sophistication ranging from graphical methods to algebraic procedures and mathematical optimization, numerous applications and case studies, and integrated software for optimizing waste recovery systems make Pollution Prevention through Process Integration: Systematic Design Tools a must read for a wide spectrum of practicing engineers, environmental scientists, plant managers, advanced undergraduate and graduate students, and researchers in the areas of pollution prevention andprocess integration. - Allows the reader to establish pollution-prevention targets for a process and then develop implementable, cost-effective solutions - Contains step-by-step procedures that can be applied to environmental problems in a wide variety of process industries - Integrates pollution prevention with other process objectives - Author is internationally recognized for pioneering work in developing mass integration science and technology
