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  • From: Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] A PROSPEROUS WAY DOWN by Elisabeth C. Odum | B.Odum.doc - B.Odum.pdf
  • Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2016 00:16:26 -0400

A PROSPEROUS WAY DOWN by Elisabeth C. Odum | B.Odum.doc - B.Odum.pdf
B.Odum.doc - B.Odum.pdf
http://www.unicamp.br/fea/ortega/energy/B.Odum.pdf

n Ortega, E. & Ulgiati, S. (editors):
Proceedings of IV Biennial International Workshop “Advances in
Energy Studies”. Unicamp, Campinas, SP, Brazil. June 16-19, 2004. Pages
1-10
A PROSPEROUS WAY DOWN
Elisabeth C. Odum - Professor Emeritus
Santa Fe Community College, Gainesville, Florida
ABSTRACT
The first premise of the Prosperous Way Down is that fossil fuels are
being used faster than the earth is
making them and that there are (and will be) no new energy sources with
as much power as fossil fuels.
The second idea is that human civilization can be prosperous as it goes
down to a lower energy world. To
explain these hypotheses there is a review of the principles of
emergy, its calculation and its use in
evaluations and predictions. Tables of emergy per person and emergy per
dollar of many countries are the
bases for evaluations of international relationships. Examples are given
of the use of emergy in possible
solutions of problems like unequal migration, production, war,
terrorism, and international trade.
Scientists can use these methods to show how civilization can
decline thoughtfully rather than collapse
miserably.
1. INTRODUCTION
This paper is based on one of H. T. Odum’s special projects:
the future of human
civilization. He put together facts, explanations and predictions in many
papers and the
book we wrote together, A Prosperous Way Down (Odum and Odum, 2001).
Instead of
anticipating a crash, a possible, hopeful, view of the future is
predicted. These
discussions and conclusions are based on two hypotheses. The
first, with which most
scientists agree, is that we (the world and our economy) are going down
(there will be
fewer resources to live on). The second, less considered, is that the lower
energy future
can be prosperous and happy – depending on our human actions.
Our plans and
activities must include the world environment as well as the
economy, as shown in



  • [permaculture] A PROSPEROUS WAY DOWN by Elisabeth C. Odum | B.Odum.doc - B.Odum.pdf, Lawrence London, 08/25/2016

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