Energy—The Critical Resource - Economics and Ecology: United for a Sustainable World - page 24

It ought to be clear by now that virtually all familiar processes could be
used as examples, because the above biophysical laws that oversee every-
thing we do as humans govern them. To our benefit, the laws of thermo-
dynamics, including maximum entropy and the subordinate biophysical
principles, can serve as a “language” in depicting the trade-offs of all our sit-
uations, actions, and behavior in terms of systemic sustainability. In essence,
we are suggesting that such an interpretation of economic behavior would
serve our culture very well. Such an interpretation is virtually mandatory if
we are to approach a high level of socioeconomic sustainability.
In summary, systems are by nature dissipative structures that release
energy by various means, but inevitably by the quickest means possible. For
example, as a young forest grows old, it converts energy from the Sun into
living tissue, which ultimately dies and accumulates as organic debris on
the forest floor. There, through decomposition, the organic debris releases
the energy stored in its dead tissue. Of course, rates of decomposition vary.
A leaf rots quickly and releases its stored energy rapidly. Wood, on the
other hand, generally rots more slowly, often over centuries in moist envi-
ronments. As wood accumulates, so does energy stored in its fibers. Before
the suppression of fires, they burned frequently enough to generally control
the amount of energy stored in accumulating dead wood by burning it up.
These low-intensity fires protected a forest for decades, even centuries, from
a catastrophic, killing fire. In this sense, a forest equates to a dissipative sys-
tem in that energy acquired from the Sun is released through the fastest
means possible, be it gradually through decomposition or rapidly, depend-
ing on the amount of wood, the weather, and the resulting intensity of the
fire. The ultimate constraint to the rate of entropic maximization, however,
is the immediate weather in the short-term (hot and dry versus cold and
wet) and the overall climate in the long-term, as in global warming, which is
influenced by our attempts to circumvent nature's biophysical principles—in
other words, to cheat for monetary gain and the power that comes with it.
Five Operating Principles
We conclude this chapter and Section I of this topic by asserting ive basic
principles that will serve throughout the topic to facilitate the discussion
and exploration of the all-important links between economics and energy.
Examples are incorporated with the principles in order to cement a better,
practical understanding of this vital relationship. In their simplest form,
these principles refer to (1) the real role of energy in the economy, (2) the need
to count everything, (3) the need to focus on the quality of the energy, (4) the
need to promote a diversity of sources, and finally, (5) the need to work effec-
tively with nature in capturing the many bounties that are available.