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109 comments on What is a Human Being Worth (in Terms of Energy)?
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109 comments on What is a Human Being Worth (in Terms of Energy)?
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Great point. For instance, if we use a velomobile w/ a small gas or electric engine for assist to commute, it may be more inefficient, strictly speaking (BTE), than using a diesel truck with 30 tons in the back, but it certainly uses far less fuel. There's a sweet spot wrt utility given the majority of use, efficiency, and overall consumption. Modern transportation via the auto has become something of a luxury/entertainment, and as such is grossly inefficient. Can we do better? Sure. Equipping vehicles in the states with properly geared manual transmissions and the drivers with knowledge regarding conservative fuel efficient driving could cut world oil consumption by a good ~5%. Saying there's plenty of room for improvement would be an understatement.
I have said this before on the Oil Drum, efficiency is not really a valid measurement for transport. Essentially all transport has an efficiency of zero since on a two way journey the average work done in the transportation exercise is zero, but fuel is used to overcome friction. The term efficacy is more appropriate as this compares the MPG.
As for the consumption of energy, we have a god given right to consume the stuff. The CEO of Centrica has just made a very sensible suggestion that we wear two jumpers, and in doing so has created a storm. Folk just don't get it.
I once estimated that it would take an athlete 30 minutes to heat enough water from 10 deg C to 100 deg C just to make a cup of tea. It was only an estimate and if my figures arn't quite to the mark it would still be hard graft and a well deserved cuppa!
All of this thread is so frustratingly nerdy. The oil is there, people have found fun ways to use it-- gazillions of trinkets of no essential value other than novelty-- and not-so-fun ways to use it, making bombs and warplanes and the like.
The entire western industrial economy is all about converting oil into money. To be sure, some of it is used for food, some for shelter -- but most of it is just useless fluff that a nerd (like me) has no way of understanding or appreciating the value of.
My theory is that the total volume of nerdiness in the world is inversely proportional to the amount of oil available.
And idleitis is directly proportional to the amount of oil avaiable.