July 25 - chapter 18 reaction

Chapter 18 of the textbook has reaffirmed what has become my main takeaway from the alternative energy course: there is no simple solution to finding alternative energy sources that meet humanity's needs.  Before coming to Brazil and taking this course, I didn't fully grasp the scope of how far away alternative energy is from being able to adequately support modern society.  The author makes this clear with his side by side comparison between average energy consumption of affluent people and the estimated energy production of alternative energy sources.  In MacKay's estimate, energy production does not particularly close to matching consumption, despite the fact that his estimates for alternative energy production capacity were quite optimistic in comparison to estimates from other sources.  Additionally, MacKay's consumption figures pertained to the UK, where residents consume considerably less energy on average than their counterparts in the United States.  Perhaps most importantly, the consumption numbers in the textbook do not include the input required to convert resources like biofuels into energy.  MacKay's analysis makes it quite apparent that, as we have discussed in class on numerous occasions, alternative energy solutions will need to come from more than just one source.

This course, in highlighting the limits of alternative energy sources, has also made me believe that the world's energy dilemma is just as much an issue of consumption as it is of production, perhaps more so.  The more I learn in this course, the more difficult it becomes to envision a world in which alternative, renewable energy sources completely replace the energy output we currently create from fossil fuel sources.  Therefore, the key to a sustainable future may be for people, especially in more affluent countries, to find a way to reduce their consumption and live more responsibly.  Only time will tell if humanity can achieve this goal, but I have certainly been inspired to give it a shot.