Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Sources: BP, Statistical Review of World Energy 2013, Historical data workbook; World Bank, World Development In-
dicators (WDI) Online Data, April 2014
The story is clear—both life expectancy and income increased rapidly, meaning that life got better for
billions of people in just a few decades. For example, the infant mortality rate has plummeted in both
countries—in China by 70 percent, which translates to 66 more children living per 1000 births. 30 India has
experienced a similar decrease, of 58 percent.
Not only in China and India, but around the world, hundreds of millions of individuals in industrializing
countries have gotten their first lightbulb, their first refrigerator, their first decent-paying job, their first
yearwithcleandrinkingwaterorafullstomach.Totakeoneparticularlywonderfulstatistic,globalmalnu-
trition and undernourishment have plummeted—by 39 percent and 40 percent, respectively, since 1990. 31
That means, in a world with a growing population, billions of people are better fed than they would have
been just a few decades ago. While there is plenty to criticize in how certain governments have handled
industrialization, the big-picture effect has been amazingly positive so far.
Ours is a world that was not supposed to be possible.
• • •
Where did the thinkers go wrong? One thing I have noticed in reading most predictions of doom is that
the “experts” almost always focus on the risks of a technology but never the benefits—and on top of that,
those who predict the most risk get the most attention from the media and from politicians who want to
“do something.”
But there is little to no focus on the benefits of cheap, reliable energy from fossil fuels.
This is a failure to think big picture, to consider all the benefits and all the risks. And the benefits of
cheap, reliable energy to power the machines that civilization runs on are enormous. They are just as fun-
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