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Principles of Ecology:

Principles of Ecology:. Seminar III November 19 and 30, 2010 Karl Seeley, PhD Hartwick College, Oneonta NY. Energy density exercise. Compare energy densities of various renewable and fossil sources.

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Principles of Ecology:

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  1. Principles of Ecology: Seminar III November 19 and 30, 2010 Karl Seeley, PhD Hartwick College, Oneonta NY

  2. Energy density exercise • Compare energy densities of various renewable and fossil sources

  3. sustain: to rest under and bear up; to support; to aid effectually; to undergo; to endure; to hold valid; to confirm; to continue (new webster's dictionary, edited by R.F.Patterson, M.A., D.Litt, 1992 edition, PSI and associates, inc, Miami, FL)sustainabilityn : the property of being sustainable (dictionary.com 9/7/06 12:34am)

  4. Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts: the concept of ‘needs’, in particular the essential needs of the world’s poor, to which the overriding priority should be given; and the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment’s ability to meet present and future needs. [From World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future, 1987]

  5. “ (sustainability) is an obligation to conduct ourselves so that we leave to the future the option or the capacity to be as well off as we are.”-Robert Solowhttp://info.wlu.ca/~wwwsbe/faculty/mforsyth/ec218/solow_points.doc

  6. "The intergenerational compromise by which present resource users can guarantee future generations the right to a similar resource base and lifestyle."http://worldwildlife.org/bsp/publications/africa/biome/sustainability.pdf

  7. The ability to provide for the needs of the world's current population without damaging the ability of future generations to provide for themselves. When a process is sustainable, it can be carried out over and over without negative environmental effects or impossibly high costs to anyone involved.www.sustainabletable.org/intro/dictionary/

  8. Sustainability is the ability to achieve continuing economic prosperity while protecting the natural systems of the planet and providing a high quality of life for its people. Achieving sustainable solutions calls for stewardship, with everyone taking responsibility for solving the problems of today and tomorrow-individuals, communities, businesses and governments are all stewards of the environment.(http://www.epa.gov/sustainability)

  9. "Sustainability means using, developing and protecting resources at a rate and in a manner that enables people to meet their current needs and also provides that future generations can meet their own needs. Sustainability requires simultaneously meeting environmental, economic and community needs" (Oregon State Executive Order 00-07).

  10. A concept and strategy by which communities seek economic development approaches that benefit the local environment and quality of life. Sustainable development provides a framework under which communities can use resources efficiently, create efficient infrastructures, protect and enhance the quality of life, and create new businesses to strengthen their economies. ...www.ci.austin.tx.us/zoning/glossary.htm

  11. Sustainability is a systemic concept, relating to the continuity of economic, social, institutional and environmental aspects of human society, as well as the non-human environment. It is intended to be a means of configuring civilization and human activity so that society, its members and its economies are able to meet their needs and express their greatest potential in the present, while preserving biodiversity and natural ecosystems, and planning and acting for the ability to maintain these ideals in a very long term. Sustainability affects every level of organization, from the local neighborhood to the entire planet.- (wikipedia.org)

  12. Sustainability-The ability to exploit natural resources without destroying the ecological balance of an area.- Encarta Dictionary (http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861717318/sustainable.html)

  13. Sustainability - the ability to provide a healthy, satisfying, and just life for all people on earth, now and for generations to come, while enhancing the health of ecosystems and the ability of other species to survive in their natural environments http://www.earthethics.com/definition_-_sustainability.htm

  14. Money and value • Money is congealed value • “Created” money is a congealed piece of the value that will be created in the future • Brought into the present through credit and creation of financial assets • Claims on value that will exist in the future • Acts as purchasing power now  Can cause real things to happen

  15. Utilities • Wholesale trade • Retail trade • Information • Finance, insurance, real estate (FIRE) • Professional and business services • Education • Health care • Social assistance • Arts, entertainment, recreation • Mining • Construction • Manufacturing • Farming • Forestry • Air transportation • Rail transportation • Water transportation • Truck transportation • Transit and ground-passenger transportation

  16. Utilities • Wholesale trade • Retail trade • Information • Finance, insurance, real estate (FIRE) • Professional and business services • Education • Health care • Social assistance • Arts, entertainment, recreation Physical goods • Mining • Construction • Manufacturing • Farming • Forestry Services • Air transportation • Rail transportation • Water transportation • Truck transportation • Transit and ground-passenger transportation Transportation

  17. Where does value come from?

  18. Value added • Take the revenue derived from selling a product • The total value (of, say, a car) • Subtract the cost of the inputs • A car: Metal, glass, rubber, computer chips • The difference is “value added” • Most of it tends to be labor • It’s why people get paid—they add value • It’s also what supports taxes • And therefore government

  19. Where does value come from? • Energy?

  20. Sectoral performance

  21. Sectoral performance Sources: Input-Output Table, 2002 (Bureau of Economic Analysis) Energy Information Agency Annual Energy Review Author’s calculations

  22. Where does value come from? • Why do we pay for transportation? • It’s got low value/Btu, but we buy it anyway • We must think it’s important • Moving ourselves and our things around must allow us to do other things we like • Including producing goods and providing services • Our goods / services have more value when we’re able to move them around • So transportation has value

  23. What is “paying for”? • When you pay for something, what are you paying with? • Claims on stuff • Ultimately, you’re paying for stuff with other stuff • If you own things, you’re willing to relinquish a part (indirectly) to someone else in return for them moving it

  24. Physical size vs. value size • Physical reality of pulling resources from the earth and turning them into goods and services we want • How much do we do? Who gets it? • Related but distinct issue: how do we count what we make? • How do we assign value, so that the “right” things get made and income gets distributed?

  25. Dematerialization • Using less resources (esp. energy) per unit of economic output • Partly driven by rise of service sector

  26. BEA, Gross-Domestic-Product-by-Industry Accounts Full-time and Part-time employees by industry

  27. BEA, Gross-Domestic-Product-by-Industry Accounts Value added by industry

  28. What does this imply about the value-added per worker in each sector?

  29. Combination of previous two data sets

  30. Changes by sector • What has changed in each of the sectors to make workers there more productive?

  31. Info-tech and dematerialization • Info-tech allows us to do other things more efficiently

  32. Means of expansion • For humans to have “more,” some combination of: • Restructure to take larger portion of what the system captures • Restructure so the system captures more • Larger input • More land, new source (e.g., falling water) • Better use of what you capture

  33. Info-tech and dematerialization • Info-tech allows us to do other things more efficiently • Provides things with high value and low energy input • As close as we get to “dematerialized” wealth • Yet it’s an outgrowth of the Industrial Revolution • Operation requires abundant, reliable electricity • Associated with societies that are materially wealthy

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