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Chapter 14: Problem 14

What fraction of the earth's 100 TW biological budget (all life on the planet) do you think is justifiable to use in service of human energy needs? Explain your reasoning. What does this become in TW, and how does it compare to our 18 TW current appetite?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Answer: We can justifiably use 10% (10 TW) of Earth's biological budget for human energy needs. This is 8 TW less than the current global energy consumption of 18 TW.

Step by step solution

01

Choose a fraction

Let's assume that we can justifiably use 10% of the Earth's 100 TW biological budget for human energy needs. This fraction could seem reasonable considering the need for balanced usage of resources among all forms of life on the planet.
02

Explain the reasoning

Using 10% of the biological budget balances human needs and the need for ecosystems to thrive. As humans, we should try not to exploit the Earth's resources excessively, leaving enough room for other species to survive and maintain healthy ecosystems.
03

Convert the fraction to TW

To find how much of the Earth's biological budget this becomes in terawatts (TW), we simply multiply the chosen fraction by the total energy budget: justifiable_human_energy = fraction * Earth's_biological_budget justifiable_human_energy = 0.1 * 100 TW = 10 TW So, we can justifiably use 10 TW of Earth's biological budget for human energy needs.
04

Compare with current global energy consumption

To compare the justifiable human energy consumption with the current global energy consumption of 18 TW, we can find the difference: difference = current_energy_consumption - justifiable_human_energy difference = 18 TW - 10 TW = 8 TW Currently, humans consume 8 TW more energy than what we assumed as justifiable in this exercise. This calls for better energy management and conservation practices to reduce our impact on the planet's ecosystems.

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