The entropy crisis - Deutscher, Guy (World Scientific Pub. Co., 2008)
Includes index. - ch. 8. A changing world. 8.1. A realistic objective. 8.2. The supply side. 8.3. Reducing the power consumed in developed countries. 8.4. The dangers
Introduction -- ch. 1. Dealing with entropy on a daily basis. 1.1. Entropy in the household. 1.2. An example of an entropy crisis at home. 1.3. Where does all the disorder go? 1.4. Disorder and pollution. 1.5. Entropy and the second law of thermodynamics. 1.6. From the household to the biosphere -- ch. 2. A short history of the biospere. 2.1. The billion year time scale. 2.2. The biosphere on the 100 million year time scale. 2.3. Carbon storage: carbonates and fossil fuels. 2.4. Ice ages. 2.5. The last 10 million years -- ch. 3. How much energy do we need? 3.1. Different forms of energy and power. 3.2. Energy conversion. 3.3. Energy use and entropy release. 3.4. Energy needs and costs. 3.5. Can society survive with a lower entropy release? -- ch. 4. Entropy in the thermodynamics and our energy needs. 4.1. Entropy in thermodynamics. 4.2. Entropy at the molecular level. 4.3. Energy needs and man generated entropy
Ch. 5. Climate change: what we know and what we don't. 5.1. Time scale and temperature scale. 5.2. The CO[symbol] cycles. 5.3. Anthropogenic temperature changes. 5.4. Climate changes in space and time: back to entropy. 5.5. The entropic meaning of sustainable development. 5.6. Concluding remarks -- ch. 6. Fighting entropy with technology. 6.1. Motivation for fighting entropy increase: ensuring climate stability. 6.2. By how much do we need to reduce anthropogenic entropy release. 6.3. Entropy management strategies. 6.4. Energy generation impact on global entropy release -- ch. 7. Towards a world without fossil fuels. 7.1. Increasing entropy and increasing energy needs. 7.2. The retreat of oil. 7.3. How much oil is left anyhow? 7.4. Replacing oil and gas by coal for residential heating? 7.5. Can we replace oil for transportation? 7.6. Can coal be displaced as the major primary fuel? 7.7. Displacing coal with renewables
This book aims to prove that the so-called "energy crisis" is really an entropy crisis. Since energy is conserved, it is clear that a different concept is necessary to discuss meaningfully the problems posed by energy supplies and environmental protection. This book makes this concept, entropy, accessible to a broad, nonspecialized audience