Technological Trajectories and the Human Environment

Technological Trajectories and the Human Environment provides a surprising projection of a much greener planet, based on long-range analysis of trends in the efficient use of energy, materials, and land. The authors argue that we will decarbonize the global energy system and drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

We will dematerialize the economy by leaner manufacturing, better product design, and smart use of materials.

We will significantly increase land areas reserved for nature by conducting highly productive and environmentally friendly agriculture on less land than is used today, even as global population doubles. The book concludes that the technological opportunities before us offer the possibility of a vastly superior industrial ecology.

Rich in both data and theory, the book offers fresh analyses essential for everyone in the environmental arena concerned with global change, sustainable development, and profitable investments in technology. Table of ContentsFRONT MATTERThe Liberation of the EnvironmentTime for a Change: On the Patterns of Diffusion of InnovationPopulation, Technology, and the Human Environment: A Thread ThroughTimeHow Much Land Can Ten Billion People Spare for Nature?Freeing Energy from CarbonLife-styles and the Environment: The Case of EnergyElecktron: Electrical Systems in Retrospect and ProspectMaterialization and Dematerialization: Measures and TrendsToward the End of Waste: Reflections on a New Ecology of IndustryHumans in Nature: Toward a Physiocentric PhilosophySustaining the Human Environment: The Next Two Hundred YearsBiographical DataIndex