Open Access

ARTICLE

ENERGY AND SOCIETY: AN OVERVIEW

by

Prof. Em., formerly: Institute of Nuclear Technology & Energy Systems (IKE), University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
Email:manfredgroll@arcor.de

Frontiers in Heat and Mass Transfer 2020, 15, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.5098/hmt.15.2

Abstract

Each individual human being, groups of individuals, whole nations depend on the availability of energy for their survival. Without energy, no civilization can develop and sustain. In our globalised civilization, hundreds of millions of people cannot satisfy their needs for energy, be it in the elementary form of food, (clean) water for drinking, cooking and irrigation, (clean) air and (clean) soil for production of crops, or be it in energy required for heating/refrigeration, light, radio, TV, etc. Modern industrialized societies with their huge energy demand for industry, the transportation sector and for building up or maintaining elevated living standards for a large part of their populations, are fighting for the limited natural resources, notably fossil energy resources. Our present world energy economy is essentially based on fossil fuels. Their use causes emission of CO₂ which is the main contributor to global warming. Climatologists predict, that disastrous consequences due to climate change can only be avoided, if the temperature rise of the atmosphere can be kept below 2 K; and this means a maximum of 450 ppm CO₂ in the atmosphere. The paper gives an overview on the interrelation of energy and environment/ecology, including economic aspects (E3 scheme). The still exponential world population growth puts significant pressure on the worldwide energy demand and on environmental pollution. This aspect together with the role of education is discussed in an expanded scheme (E5). These problems, known since years and discussed once and again, cannot be reasonably tackled without accounting for the interrelation of the energy issue and the societal (economic/political) system. The question arises to which degree can solutions be found which benefit the majority of the people. Are acceptable solutions possible at all in a world under the dominance of capitalistic/imperialistic system? These questions will be discussed in the frame of a further expanded E7 scheme (including the issues of (in)equality and exploitation).

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