Energy: Engine of EvolutionElsevier, 2005 - 215 pages "Energy: Engine of Evolution" is a compelling book that provides a compact history of energy over the last four billion years, with the aim of creating a sound basis to understanding the possible futures of the energy industry. It describes the role that energy has played in the evolution of nature and culture, the impact it has had on the world over time and the implications that we are faced with concerning the role of energy in the future. This book describes the relationship between life and energy through time, outlining how the major revolutions in the evolution of life on earth were driven by developments at the energy frontiers. "Energy: Engine of Evolution" states that we are on the verge of the next energy revolution, where we will learn how to master new energy forms in a new way. As a result of years of research and discussions by leading experts in the oil and gas industry, this publication offers inspiring insights and examples of new approaches to technological and evolutionary developments, paving the way towards a more sustainable future. It provides evolutionary insight and introduces an Energy Time Scale that shows key relationships between energy and the history of planet Earth. It contains exciting examples of new approaches to sustainable development. |
Contents
The PhotoEnergy Revolution | 3 |
The OxoEnergy Revolution | 13 |
The PyroEnergy Revolution | 29 |
The AgroEnergy Revolution | 51 |
The CarboEnergy Revolution | 65 |
Part II The Next Energy Revolution | 85 |
The Staircase of Energy Regimes | 87 |
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Aerobic Regime aerobic respiration Agrian Agrocultural Regime animals anthropogenic anthroposphere Arcadian artefacts billion years ago biological blue-greens brain Carbian Carbocultural Regime carbohydrates carbon dioxide cell century chemical co-evolution coal combustion complex converted dissipation ecologically dominant economy ecosystems electricity emergent properties Encyclopædia Britannica energy chains energy flow energy gradient energy regime energy revolution energy-dissipating structure entropy environment equilibrium eukaryotic evolution evolutionary energetics evolved fire mastery fossil fuels genes genetic genus Homo global Goudsblom heat Homo heidelbergensis Homo sapiens human culture hydrogen hyperthermophile Imperial industrial innovation invention living organisms Macroscopical Signal man’s material memes memetic metabolism molecular molecules noösphere nuclear nuclear fusion origin oxygen percent photosynthesis planet Earth plants population production Pyrocultural Richard Fortey Second Law social societal metabolism socio-metabolic Socio-Technological Development sociosystems solar energy species Staircase of Energy sunlight sustainable development Symbian symbolic system Earth Thermodynamics tion today’s utilisation