http://www.physorg.com/news178178343.html
http://tinyurl.com/ylcn43s
Selected quotes:
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Garrett says his study's key finding "is that accumulated economic
production over the course of history has been tied to the rate of
energy consumption at a global level through a constant factor."
That "constant" is 9.7 (plus or minus 0.3) milliwatts per inflation-
adjusted 1990 dollar. So if you look at economic and energy
production at any specific time in history, "each inflation-adjusted
1990 dollar would be supported by 9.7 milliwatts of primary energy
consumption," Garrett says.
Perhaps the most provocative implication of Garrett's theory is that
conserving energy doesn't reduce energy use, but spurs economic
growth and more energy use.
"Making civilization more energy efficient simply allows it to grow
faster and consume more energy," says Garrett.
"If society invests sufficient resources into alternative and new,
non-carbon energy supplies, then perhaps it can continue growing
without increasing global warming," Garrett says.
"Ultimately, it's not clear that policy decisions have the capacity
to change the future course of civilization."
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Best regards,
Horace Heffner
http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/
