Abstract
Energy flow is a major necessary component driving evolution of living system (along with information processes, organization, and entropy management). Energy flow is defined as the rate of energy use, after thermal heat losses are considered, i.e., free-energy power. Chaisson identified the energy flow density as a major determinant of complexity. Energy (such as food) is used to restore order among living systems (cell, animal, person, and civilization) overcoming the natural tendency to decay and diffuse. New energy mechanisms have been identified through the evolution of life, humans, and civilizations. The rate of energy innovation events is the same hyperbolic trend (with a singularity) that is seen in formation of new organizations. Here, we also investigate estimates of the energy flowing through evolving systems from early hydrothermal vents to the current global situation. It is found that the energy flow increases a bit faster than the population (or mass) in the system. For example, human bodies (such as early humans) use about 100 W of energy flow, whereas the global average is now roughly 3000 W per person with wide disparity (e.g., 10000 W/capita in the USA and 1000 W/capita in India).
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ayres RU, Ayres E (2010) Crossing the energy divide: moving from fossil fuel dependence to a clean-energy future. Wharton School Pub, Upper Saddle River NJ
Ayres RU, Warr B (2009) The economic growth engine: how energy and work drive material prosperity. Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, UK
Baker D (2020) Complexity in the future: the special relationship between far-from-equilibrium systems and strategic foresight. In: Korotayev AV, LePoire D (eds) The 21st century Singularity and global futures. A Big History perspective. Springer, Cham, pp 397–417. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33730-8_18
Bejan A, Lorente S (2011) The constructal law and the evolution of design in nature. Phys Life Rev 8(3):209–240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plrev.2011.05.010
Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (2015) Quality of life for all: a sustainable development framework for india’s climate policy, Bangalore, India, https://niti.gov.in/writereaddata/files/document_publication/58fc41cccff9acf678dea2ffa24f8f28.pdf
Chaisson E (2004) Complexity: an energetics agenda: energy as the motor of evolution. Complexity 9(3):14–21. https://doi.org/10.1002/cplx.20009
Chaisson E (2014) The natural science underlying big history. Sci World J 2014:1–41. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/384912
Czaika E, Selin NE (2017) Model use in sustainability policy making: an experimental study. Environ Model Softw 98:54–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2017.09.001
Dekoussar V, Dyck GR, Galperin A, Ganguly C, Todosow M, Yamawaki M (2005) Thorium fuel cycle—potential benefits and challenges. International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna
Devezas TC, LePoire D, Matias JCO, Silva AMP (2008) Energy scenarios: toward a new energy paradigm. Futures 40(1):1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2007.06.005
Fomin A (2020) Hyperbolic evolution from biosphere to technosphere. In: Korotayev AV, LePoire D (eds) The 21st century Singularity and global futures. A Big History perspective. Springer, Cham, pp 105–118. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33730-8_5
Forgan DH (2009) A numerical testbed for hypotheses of extraterrestrial life and intelligence. Int J Astrobiol 8(2):121–131. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1473550408004321
Fuerth LS, Faber E (2012) Anticipatory governance practical upgrades. Project on forward engagement. https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/174495/Book-025.pdf
Heaberlin SW (2004) A case for nuclear-generated electricity, or, why i think nuclear power is cool and why it is important that you think so too. Battelle Press, Columbus
Hindu Business Line (2017) India on the roadmap of tripling nuclear power capacity. Hindu Business Line 24.03.2017. https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/india-on-the-roadmap-of-tripling-nuclear-power-capacity/article9599683.ece
Horowitz JM, England JL (2017) Spontaneous fine-tuning to environment in many-species chemical reaction networks. Proc Natl Acad Sci 114(29):7565–7570. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1700617114
Institute of Physics (2010) A future energy giant? India’s thorium-based nuclear plans. Phys.org News 01.10.2010. https://phys.org/news/2010-10-future-energy-giant-india-thorium-based.html
Jantsch E (1980) The Self-organizing universe: scientific and human implications of the emerging paradigm of evolution. Pergamon, Oxford, UK
Kardashev N (1964) Transmission of information by extraterrestrial civilizations. Sov Astron 8(2):217–221
Korotayev A (2005) A compact macromodel of world system evolution. J World-Syst Res 11(1):79–93. https://doi.org/10.5195/jwsr.2005.401
Korotayev AV (2020) The 21st century Singularity in the Big History perspective. A re-analysis. In: Korotayev AV, LePoire D (eds) The 21st century Singularity and global futures. A Big History perspective. Springer, Cham, pp 19–75. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33730-8_2
Korotayev A, Malkov A (2016) A compact mathematical model of the world system economic and demographic growth, 1 CE—1973 CE. Int J Math Model Methods Appl Sci 10:200–209
Korotayev A, Malkov A, Khaltourina D (2006) Introduction to social macrodynamics: compact macromodels of the world system growth. KomKniga, URSS, Moscow
Kremer M (1993) Population growth and technological change: one million B.C. to 1990. Q J Econ 108:681–716. https://doi.org/10.2307/2118405
Lahart J, Barta P, Batson A (2008) New limits to growth revive malthusian fears. Wall Str J 24.03.2008. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB120613138379155707
LePoire DJ (2004) A ‘perfect storm’ of social and technological transitions? Futur Res Q 20(3):25–40
LePoire DJ (2011) Beyond (conventional) renewable energy? In: Wagner CG (ed) Moving from vision to action. World Future Society, Bethesda MD
LePoire DJ (2015) Interpreting big history as complex adaptive system dynamics with nested logistic transitions in energy flow and organization. Emerg Complex Organ 17(1):1–16
Linstone HA (1996) Technological slowdown or societal speedup: the price of system complexity. Technol Forecast Soc Chang 51:195–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/0040-1625(95)00253-7
Lovins AB (2011) Reinventing fire: bold business solutions for the new energy era. Chelsea Green Publishing, Vermont, White River Junction
Luongo KN (2018) Nuclear power in a new era: four essential policy pillars for its future. Partnership for Global Security, Washington DC
Marchetti C (1977) Primary energy substitution models: on the interaction between energy and society. Technol Forecast Soc Chang 10:345–356. https://doi.org/10.1016/0040-1625(77)90031-2
Nakicenovic N, Grübler A (1998) Global energy: perspectives. Cambridge University Press, New York
Niele F (2005) Energy: engine of evolution. Elsevier, Amsterdam, Boston
Panov A (2005) Scaling law of the biological evolution and the hypothesis of the self-consistent galaxy origin of life. Adv Space Res 36(2):220–225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2005.03.001
Panov A (2020) Singularity of evolution and post-singular development in the Big History perspective. In: Korotayev A, LePoire D (eds) The 21st century Singularity and global futures. A Big History perspective. Springer, Cham, pp 439–465. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33730-8_20
Pereza M, Perezb R, Rábagoc KR, Putnama M (2019) Overbuilding & curtailment: the cost-effective enablers of firm PV generation. Sol Energy 180(2019):412–422
Podobnik B (2006) Global energy shifts: fostering sustainability in a turbulent age. Temple University Press, Philadelphia
Rooney-Varga JN, Sterman JD, Fracassi E, Franck T, Kapmeier F, Kurker V, Johnston E, Jones AP, Rath K, Creutzig F (2018) Combining role-play with interactive simulation to motivate informed climate action: Evidence from the World Climate simulation. PLOS ONE 13(8):e0202877
Siddiqui A, Fleten SE (2010) How to proceed with competing alternative energy technologies: a real options analysis. Energy Econ 32(4):817–830. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2009.12.007
Smalley R (2003) Our energy challenge. In: Energy & nanotechnology conference, Rice University, Houston, TX, 3 May
Smil V (1994) Energy in world history. Westview Press, Boulder
Schneider ED, Kay JJ (1994) Life as a manifestation of the second law of thermodynamics. Math Comput Model 19(6–8):25–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/0895-7177(94)90188-0
Socolow RH, Glaser A (2009) Balancing risk: nuclear energy & climate change. Daedalus 138(4):31–44. https://doi.org/10.1162/daed.2009.138.4.31
Sovacool BK, Blyth PL (2015) Energy and environmental attitudes in the green state of Denmark: implications for energy democracy, low carbon transitions, and energy literacy. Environ Sci Policy 54:304–315. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2015.07.011
Stone L (1993) Period-doubling reversals and chaos in simple ecological models. Nat Cell Biol 365:617–620. https://doi.org/10.1038/365617a0
Tainter JA (1996) Complexity, problem solving, and sustainable societies. In: Constanza R, Sequra O, Martinez-Alier J (eds) Getting down to earth: practical applications of ecological economics. Island Press, Washington DC, pp 61–76
US Department of Energy (2017) Energy literacy: essential principles and fundamental concepts for energy education. https://www.energy.gov/eere/education/energy-literacy-essential-principles-energy-education
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
LePoire, D.J., Chandrankunnel, M. (2020). Energy Flow Trends in Big History. In: Korotayev, A., LePoire, D. (eds) The 21st Century Singularity and Global Futures. World-Systems Evolution and Global Futures. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33730-8_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33730-8_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-33729-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-33730-8
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)