Rays of hope: the transition to a post-petroleum world

Book · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1977

OSTI ID:5172885

Hayes, D

Major energy transitions always bring profound social change. The substitution of coal for wood and wind helped usher in the industrial era. Petroleum revolutionized the whole approach to travel, restructuring cities, and shrinking the planet. Now, at the twilight of the oil age, we face another energy transition in the certain knowledge that it will reshape tomorrow's world. A nuclear-powered world, Denis Hayes argues, would necessarily be more centralized and authoritarian than one based on solar energy. With by-products that are carcinogenic, mutagenic, and toxic, with its inherent vulnerability to human error and willful malevolence, and with its inescapable link to atomic bombs, the nuclear option presages a grim future. The consequences of turning toward the sun are more inviting, Hayes feels. Many practical techniques exist to harness this resource, he believes, directly as solar power and indirectly in wind power, water power, and biological sources. These options are explored in detail, examining how a shift to sustainable resources will affect our life styles, diets, and jobs. A civilization built around the efficient use of solar power is appealing in its stark contrast to a world of nuclear garrison states. Scarce resources would be conserved, pollution decreased, and employment spurred. Decentralized facilities would lead to more local control. Equity would be increased, within and among nations.

• OSTI ID: 5172885
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
291000 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Conservation
292000 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Supply
Demand & Forecasting
299000* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Unconventional Sources & Power Generation
DECISION MAKING
ECONOMIC IMPACT
ENERGY CONSERVATION
ENERGY POLICY
ENERGY SHORTAGES
ENERGY SOURCES
ENERGY SUPPLIES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL SUBSTITUTION
FUELS
GLOBAL ASPECTS
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
IMPLEMENTATION
NUCLEAR POWER
PETROLEUM
PLANNING
POWER
PRODUCTION
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
RESOURCE DEPLETION
SOCIAL IMPACT
TECHNOLOGY UTILIZATION