Energy descent

Energy descent

Energy descent is the hypothetical post-peak oil transitional phase, when humankind goes from the ascending use of energy that has occurred since the industrial revolution to a descending use of energy.

The term was coined by ecologist Howard T. Odum in "The Prosperous Way Down" (2001), and was then adopted by David Holmgren in "Permaculture: Principles and Pathways beyond Sustainability" (2002). [David Room, [http://energypreparedness.net/resources/whitepaper/1 "Energy Preparedness: A Municipal Perspective", 2006] ]

Criticism

Some techno-optimists, such as Julian Simon, have disputed energy projections such as this, arguing that as oil becomes more expensive, humanity will tend to diversify its energy sources away from a reliance on oil, thus avoiding undesired global reductions in energy usage.

See also

References


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