Goldilocks Policy The The Basis For A Grand Energy Bargain

'The author leavens his discussion of a transition to a sustainable energy mix with the views of three prominent energy experts; following this is an introduction to ‘Goldilocks policy’ and a detailed discussion of its obstacles. The author stresses the importance of factoring in capacity, cost, safety, reliability, and environmental effects in developing a sustainable energy policy.'CHOICEThis book makes the case for a grand energy bargain that recognizes the need to protect the environment from the combustion of fossil fuels while protecting the national and global economies during the transition from fossil fuels to sustainable energy.Our future energy mix depends on choices we make, which depends, in turn, on energy policy. Society is continuing a trend toward decarbonization: the reduction in the relative amount of carbon in combustible fuels. The 21st century energy mix will depend on technological advances, including some advances that cannot be anticipated, and on choices made by society.There are competing visions for reaching a sustainable energy mix. If the energy transition is too fast, it could significantly damage the global economy. If the energy transition is too slow, damage to the environment could be irreversible.The 'Goldilocks Policy for Energy Transition' is designed to establish a middle ground between these competing visions. We need the duration of the energy transition to be just right; we need to adopt a reasonable plan of action that reduces uncertainty for businesses and innovators with predictable public policy while simultaneously minimizing environmental impact.The question of climate change is still unsettled, but enough is known to motivate a transition away from fossil fuels. The transition does not have to be abrupt and catastrophic, however. Historical energy transitions can be a guide to a reasonable duration for making an orderly transition. If we exercise discipline and patience, we can overcome the obstacles to successful implementation of a grand energy bargain.

This unique compendium provides a fact-based analysis of the most prominent energy issues of our time. It covers the period when the Covid pandemic swept across the world and substantially altered energy production and consumption. It discusses lessons learned following the reopening of economies around the world, and recognizes that we are in the midst of the energy transition. Insights into key energy topics, such as the timing of the energy transition and the need for a reliable energy portfolio for national security, are included.Some highlights of the new edition include discussions of climate change; lessons learned from the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine; introduction to small-scale, modular nuclear fission reactors; updates on the status of nuclear fusion reactor prototypes; advances in solar power plants and transparent photovoltaic cells; improvements in large-scale wind power; tidal and wave energy converters; oil from algae; the EU Supergrid; the transition to electric vehicles and its impact on demand for oil; and updating the Goldilocks Policy forecast.This textbook can also serve as a useful reference for students, decision makers, opinion leaders and the general public. Previous editions have been used as an introductory energy text for college and MBA students.

In Newton's classical mechanics, time played the role of a monotonically increasing evolution parameter. Einstein rejected the Newtonian concept and instead identified time as the fourth coordinate of a space-time four-vector. Today, scientists are considering different concepts of time as a means of resolving incompatibilities between relativity and quantum mechanics. Some view time as an emergent property of a system rather than a fundamental property, while others consider two temporal variables. The purpose of this book is to examine the role of time in modern physics so that the reader gains an increased awareness of time and its place in our understanding of nature.

Reason, Faith, and Purpose: The Ultimate Gamble is a guide for believers and inquiring skeptics. This book summarizes the scientific view of the origins of the universe and life and analyzes the question of the existence of god from philosophical, religious, and scientific perspectives.The material is presented in two parts. Part I presents the secular, scientific view of the origin and evolution of the physical universe and life. Part II introduces other perspectives that are representative of ideas historically prevalent around the world. The material in Reason, Faith, and Purpose is designed to provide insight into the choice each of us must make in this life: the ultimate gamble.

We cannot continue on a business-as-usual, carbon fuel dependent mode of operation, because the consequences of doing so are catching up with us. So, what must we do to ensure there is a tomorrow?In this book, experts from around the world come together to shed light on what we can do to preserve and expand resources key to the survival of human civilization — from the state-of-the-art of innovative engineering; to the latest status on energy, energy mix, and advancements in renewable energy — including the complementary energy storage using hydrogen; or innovative architecture for more sustainable buildings, including retrofitting of aging tall buildings; innovative ways to improve our air, water and coastline with nearshore biodiversity reclamation; to the subject of sustainable development through the water-energy-food nexus.This volume is recommended for research and graduate courses on energy and sustainability, and policymakers interested in the subjects.

Conventional theories of capitalism are mired in a deep crisis: after centuries of debate, they are still unable to tell us what capital is. Liberals and Marxists both think of capital as an ‘economic’ entity that they count in universal units of ‘utils’ or ‘abstract labour’, respectively. But these units are totally fictitious. Nobody has ever been able to observe or measure them, and for a good reason: they don’t exist. Since liberalism and Marxism depend on these non-existing units, their theories hang in suspension. They cannot explain the process that matters most – the accumulation of capital. This book offers a radical alternative. According to the authors, capital is not a narrow economic entity, but a symbolic quantification of power. It has little to do with utility or abstract labour, and it extends far beyond machines and production lines. Capital, the authors claim, represents the organized power of dominant capital groups to reshape – or creorder – their society. Written in simple language, accessible to lay readers and experts alike, the book develops a novel political economy. It takes the reader through the history, assumptions and limitations of mainstream economics and its associated theories of politics. It examines the evolution of Marxist thinking on accumulation and the state. And it articulates an innovative theory of ‘capital as power’ and a new history of the ‘capitalist mode of power’.

The Politics of Oil brings together legal studies, economics, and political science to illustrate how governments gain and exercise control over oil resources and how political actors influence the global oil market, both individually and in cooperation with each other. The author also investigates the role of oil in preserving regime stability, in civil wars and in inter-state conflicts, as well as discussing the possible implications for the oil industry from policies to combat climate change.